Abstract
BackgroundEzrin is a cytoskeletal protein that is involved in tumor growth and invasion. It has been suggested that Ezrin expression plays an important role in tumor metastasis. This study is aimed to investigate the clinicopathological significance of Ezrin overexpression in gastric adenocarcinomas.MethodsEzrin protein expression was examined by immunohistochemistry in 26 normal gastric mucosa, 32 dysplasia, and 277 gastric adenocarcinomas. The relationship between Ezrin expression and the clinicopathological features of gastric cancers was analyzed. In addition, a gastric cancer cell line, MKN-1, was also used for immunofluorescence staining to evaluate the distribution of Ezrin protein.ResultsEzrin protein located in the cytoplasm and/or membrane in the migrating gastric cancer cells, and it mainly concentrated at the protrusion site; however, only cytoplasmic distribution was observed in the non-migrating cancer cells by immunofluorescence staining. The positive rate of Ezrin protein expression was significantly higher in gastric adenocarcinoma and dysplasia compared with that in the normal gastric mucosa. Moreover, expression frequency of Ezrin protein increased significantly in lymph node metastasis and late clinical stages. Consistently, strong expression of Ezrin was significantly correlated with poor prognosis of gastric cancer.ConclusionThe detection of Ezrin expression can be used as the marker for early diagnosis and prognosis of gastric adenocarcinoma.Virtual SlidesThe virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/2303598677653946
Highlights
Gastric cancer is one of the most fatal malignant tumors worldwide
The characteristics of Ezrin protein localization and distribution To observe the localization of Ezrin protein in migrating and non-migrating cancer cells, the cultured MKN-1 gastric cancer cells were scratched by a new 200 μl pipette tip (Figure 1), and the immunofluorescence staining for Ezrin protein was done
It was found that Ezrin protein located at the cytoplasm and/or membrane in the migrating MKN-1 cells, and mainly concentrated at the protrusion site; only cytoplasmic distribution was observed in the non-migrating MKN-1 cells by immunofluorescence staining (Figure 1)
Summary
Gastric cancer is one of the most fatal malignant tumors worldwide. Local recurrence remains the cause of cancer-related deaths after resection in a substantial proportion of patients with gastric cancer. Cell adhesion molecules and actin cytoskeleton play a crucial role in tumor metastasis [5,6]. The cytoskeletal protein Ezrin is a member of the Ezrin-Radixin-Moesin (ERM) family which is linked to aggressive tumor behavior by involving all stages of tumor metastasis [7,8] including cell adhesion, survival, motility, and signal transduction [9,10,11]. Ezrin is a cytoskeletal protein that is involved in tumor growth and invasion. It has been suggested that Ezrin expression plays an important role in tumor metastasis. This study is aimed to investigate the clinicopathological significance of Ezrin overexpression in gastric adenocarcinomas
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