Potential role of TRIM3 as a novel tumour suppressor in endometrial cancer development

This study investigates the biological functions of Tripartite motif-containing 3 (TRIM3) in endometrial cancer (EC). The expression patterns of TRIM3 in EC using the UALCAN and Kaplan-Meier Plotter databases, and investigated the relationship with the progression of EC in patients. EC cell lines, Ishikawa and HEC-1A were transfected with a vector expressing TRIM3 after pre-treated with/without pifithrin-alpha (an inhibitor of p53). Subsequently, in vitro cell proliferation and apoptosis were evaluated. Overexpression of TRIM3 resulted in inhibition of cell viability and clone formation and induced G1 phase arrest in Ishikawa and HEC-1A cells. Additionally, after TRIM3 was overexpressed, cell apoptosis was increased, and higher levels of Bax and lower levels of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) were observed in cells. Furthermore, heightened levels of p53 and p21 proteins were observed in Ishikawa and HEC-1A cells overexpressing TRIM3. However, pifithrin-alpha could counteract the effects of TRIM3 overexpression on EC cells. These data indicate that TRIM3 exerts a tumor suppressor effect in EC by activating the p53/p21 pathway.