Elevated expression of IMPDH2 is associated with progression of kidney and bladder cancer

Novel molecular markers for cancer progression are valuable for the diagnosis and evaluation of treatment efficacies of the diseases. Expression of inosine 5′-monophosphate dehydrogenase type II (IMPDH2), a rate-limiting enzyme in the de novo guanine nucleotide biosynthesis, is up-regulated in various neoplasms, including prostate cancer and patient serum. However, whether IMPDH2 can serve as a biomarker for other urologic cancers is unknown. Paired patient tissue macroarrays were analyzed by immunohistochemistry, the IMPDH2 protein expression in these tissues was quantitated and expressed as immunoreactivity scores. Compared with non-cancerous tissues, IMPDH2 protein expression levels were significantly upregulated in kidney and bladder cancer, but no difference in testis cancer. In addition, expression of IMPDH2 was not associated with the disease clinical stages and pathological features. The findings suggest that overexpressed IMPDH2 can be used as a biomarker for kidney and bladder cancer diagnosis and is a potential therapeutic target for the diseases.