Abstract
Sox2 and Oct4 are transcription factors with the characteristics of regulating self-renewal and differentiation of embryonic stem cell. The aim of this study was to detect the expression of Sox2 and Oct4 and analyze their clinical significance in human non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Expression of Sox2 and Oct4 were assayed in cancer tissues and their corresponding paracancerous tissues from 44 patients with NSCLC and 21 patients with benign tumors using immunohistochemistry, Western blot, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The correlation between the expression of Sox2 and Oct4 and tumor type, grade and prognosis and the utility of the two genes in discriminating between benign and malignant tumors were analyzed as well. The results showed that Sox2 and Oct4 positive staining was only seen in the nuclei of cancer cells but not in either the precancerous tissues or benign tumor tissues by immunohistochemistry (p < 0.01). Furthermore, in the lung cancer tissue, the positive rate for Sox2 and Oct4 was 70.5% and 54.5%, respectively. Meanwhile, clinicopathological correlations showed that the Oct4 expression level was significantly associated with poorer differentiation and higher TNM stage of the cancer (p < 0.05). Western blot and RT-PCR analysis showed similar results to immunohistochemistry. Follow-up analysis revealed that expression of Oct4 was significantly associated with poor prognosis of lung cancer. The conclusion is that Sox2 and Oct4 may act as the promising unit markers in directing NSCLC diagnosis and therapy. Also, Oct4 can be regarded as a novel predictor of poor prognosis for NSCLC patients undergoing resection.
Highlights
Lung cancer is by far one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide
We investigated Sox2 and Oct4 protein expression by IHC in 44 human non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cancerous and precancerous tissues and 21 human benign tumor tissues
That is the expression of the two factors of Sox2 and Oct4 in NSCLC tissues was significantly higher than that of their paracancerous tissues and the benign tumors at both the protein and mRNA level (Figure 2)
Summary
Lung cancer is by far one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide. It is the leading cancer type for cancer mortality that takes account for more than 26% of all cancer deaths [1]. This is largely due to the lack of biomarkers for early diagnosis. Lung cancer biomarkers have been taking a relatively important place in early diagnosis, therapy guidance and predicting prognosis [2,3]. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are considered as a small subpopulation of cancer cells that is highly enriched with the properties of self-renewal, extensive proliferation and tumor formation [5]. Kem et al reported that bronchoalveolar stem cells (BASCs) have the properties of self-renewal, pluripotency and proliferation, and suggested them as progenitors for lung adenocarcinoma [8]
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