CDC27

CDC27 Full Name

cell division cycle 27

CDC27 Introduction

CDC27 (cell division cycle 27), also known as ANAPC3, is a highly conserved core subunit of the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C), a multi-subunit E3 ubiquitin ligase that orchestrates orderly cell-cycle progression. Researchers studying uncontrolled cell proliferation, genomic instability, or treatment resistance frequently encounter CDC27 because it acts as a molecular gatekeeper during mitosis. By forming functional APC/C complexes with co-activators such as CDC20 and CDH1, CDC27 helps regulate the timely degradation of key cell-cycle proteins including securin and cyclin B. This proteolytic control enables accurate chromosome segregation, mitotic exit, and transition into the G1 phase. Loss of APC/C fidelity can lead to chromosome instability, aneuploidy, and aberrant cell division, making CDC27 an important target in studies of cancer biology, developmental disorders, and cell-cycle-directed therapeutics.

The biological significance of CDC27 extends beyond its structural role within APC/C. Emerging evidence indicates that CDC27 participates in the regulation of cell proliferation, stemness, DNA damage responses, cellular senescence, and therapeutic sensitivity. Depending on cellular context, CDC27 may exert either tumor-suppressive or tumor-promoting effects. Increased CDC27 expression has been associated with enhanced tumor cell growth, metastatic potential, and maintenance of cancer stem cell characteristics in several malignancies. Conversely, reduced CDC27 activity may contribute to chemotherapy resistance, radioresistance, and prolonged survival of malignant cells by disrupting normal cell-cycle checkpoints. These context-dependent functions highlight a recurring challenge in oncology research: the same cell-cycle regulator can have distinct biological consequences across different tumor types, emphasizing the need for disease-specific functional characterization before therapeutic intervention.

Disease association studies have expanded the clinical relevance of CDC27 far beyond cancer. Somatic mutations affecting CDC27 are among the more frequently observed alterations within APC/C-related genes across multiple human cancers, and accumulating evidence suggests that CDC27 status may provide prognostic and predictive value in precision oncology. Recent genetic studies have also linked CDC27 variants to susceptibility and clinical outcomes in non-syndromic congenital heart disease, where specific polymorphisms correlate with disease risk, pulmonary hypertension severity, cardiac remodeling, and long-term prognosis. In the field of immunology, CDC27 has emerged as a novel disease-associated gene in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Reduced CDC27 expression in patient immune cells has been associated with higher inflammatory activity, while expression levels correlate with established disease activity markers and respond to immunomodulatory treatment. Collectively, these findings position CDC27 as a biologically important regulator at the intersection of cell-cycle control, immune regulation, developmental biology, and cancer progression, supporting its growing value as a biomarker candidate and potential therapeutic target in multiple disease settings.

Alternate Names for CDC27

CDC27; cell division cycle 27; APC3; HNUC; NUC2; H-NUC; ANAPC3; CDC27Hs; D0S1430E; D17S978E; cell division cycle protein 27 homolog; nuc2 homolog; cell division cycle 27 homolog; anaphase promoting complex subunit 3; anaphase-promoting complex, protein 3

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• 1.Kazemi-Sefat GE, et al.; The importance of CDC27 in cancer: molecular pathology and clinical aspects. Cancer Cell Int. 2021, 21(1):160.
  2.Shang S, et al.; A Novel Gene CDC27 Causes SLE and Is Associated With the Disease Activity. Front Immunol. 2022, 13:876963.