Nuclear translocation of ATBF1 is a potential prognostic marker for skin cancer.

The AT motif binding factor 1 (ATBF1) is expressed in various tissues, such as brain, liver, lung, and gastrointestinal tract, and has an important role in cell differentiation in organs. ATBF1 interacts with PIAS3, a protein inhibitor for activated signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT3), to suppress STAT3 signaling, which has critical roles in cell proliferation, migration, and survival. We hypothesized that ATBF1 is a useful prognostic marker for skin cancer. We performed immunohistochemical analyses of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC, n=7), basal cell carcinoma (BCC, n=4), and Bowen's disease (n=4) tissues using an anti-ATBF1 monoclonal antibody. All cases of BCC and Bowen's disease exhibited intense nuclear ATBF1 staining, whereas only some SCC cases exhibited weakly positive nuclear ATBF1 staining. SCC and Bowen's disease showed intense nuclear STAT3 staining, while BCC had few STAT3-positive nuclei. Based on these observations, nuclear ATBF1 staining was associated with low malignancy profiles. The pattern of ATBF1 staining is a potential prognostic marker for skin cancer.