SIRT2 Expression Is Higher in Uveal Melanoma than In Ocular Melanocytes.

PURPOSE: Sirtuins (SIRTs) are the family of proteins associated with the cell cycle and that correlate with cancer development and progression. SIRTs have never been studied in uveal melanocytes. The aim of this study is to characterize the expression of SIRT2 in uveal melanoma (UM) cases and compare it with the expression of SIRT2 in melanocytes of the uveal tract of normal human eyes (NHE).

METHODS: Twenty-one formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded human UM cases were immunostained for SIRT2, along with 15 NHE obtained from the Eye Bank of Canada.

RESULTS: SIRT2 expression was higher in melanomas than in normal melanocytes of both tumor and donor eyes (p < 0.0001). No significant difference in SIRT2 expression was found when comparing normal melanocytes in UM and NHE cases.

CONCLUSIONS: SIRT2 expression is significantly stronger in UM cells than in normal ocular melanocytes. This finding may indicate an important role of SIRT2 as a prognostic marker in UM progression. SIRT2 should also be investigated as a possible therapeutic target.