UXT is a novel centrosomal protein essential for cell viability

Ubiquitously expressed transcript (UXT) is a prefoldinlike protein that has been suggested to be involved in human tumorigenesis. Here, we have found that UXT is overexpressed in a number of human tumor tissues but not in the matching normal tissues. We demonstrate that UXT is located in human centrosomes and is associated with gamma-tubulin. In addition, overexpression of UXT disrupts centrosome structure. Furthermore, abrogation of UXT protein expression by small interfering RNA knockdown leads to cell death. Together, our findings suggest that UXT is a component of centrosome and is essential for cell viability. We propose that UXT may facilitate transformation by corrupting regulated centrosome functions.