UBE2J2-mediated ubiquitination modification of MCM6 regulates proliferation and migration of cervical cancer cells.

Abstract

Microchromosome maintenance protein 6 (MCM6), a member of the MCM family, is involved in the regulation of various cancer progression. However, the role and related regulatory mechanisms in cervical cancer are unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of MCM6 in cervical cancer and the regulation of MCM6 protein homeostasis by the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2J2 (UBE2J2). To investigate the expression and function of MCM6 in cervical cancer, we used RT-qPCR and Western blot and found that MCM6 was upregulated. Cell function experiments indicate that MCM6 promotes the proliferation and migration of cervical cancer cells. The GEPIA database identified co-expressed genes with MCM6, and KEGG enrichment analysis showed that MCM6 was significantly associated with UBE2J2. We performed molecular docking of proteins and identified amino acid residues involved in the MCM6-UBE2J2 interaction. Using co-immunoprecipitation and Immunofluorescence experiments, we found that MCM6 binds to UBE2J2 and localizes to the nucleus. Ubiquitination experiments demonstrated that UBE2J2 mediates MCM6 ubiquitination. Response experiments showing that UBE2J2-mediated MCM6 ubiquitination modification regulates the proliferation and migration of cervical cancer cells. Our results suggest that the UBE2J2-MCM6 axis plays an important role in regulating cervical cancer proliferation and migration and is a promising therapeutic target for its treatment.