Normal Expression Group Research Articles

Аберрантная экспрессия р53 в карциноме желудка и ее связь с HER2 статусом

Introduction. p53 is a tumor suppressor, whose expression is actively studied in many tumors. However, scientists argue about aberrant p53 expression criteria and whether tumoral p53 expression correlates with various clinical and morphological parameters of gastric cancer and has a prognostic role. No data were published in Russia on the incidence of tumors with p53 overexpression. It remains unclear whether aberrant p53 expression is an independent prognostic sign in gastric cancer. The study aimed to evaluate the frequency of p53 expression in gastric adenocarcinomas in the Russian population, to give the definition for aberrant p53 expression, and to clarify the relationship between p53 expression, clinical and morphological tumor characteristics, HER2 status, and the impact of p53 expression on the prognosis. Materials and methods. We studied surgical pathology samples from 310 patients with verified gastric cancer. The age of the patients ranged from 22 to 85 years (mean 63 years). Each sample was stained immunohistochemically with antibodies to p53 (clone DO-7) and the HercepTest kit (Dako/Agilent Technologies). We compared the results with the main clinical and morphological characteristics of gastric cancer and patient survival data. Results.The frequency of aberrant p53 expression was 49.4%. Aberrant expression should include both cases with overexpression and cases with a complete absence of marker expression. In contrast to the normal p53 expression group, the group with aberrant p53 expression was characterized by more frequent proximal tumor location; fewer diffuse and infiltrative carcinoma forms; a significant predominance of tubular, papillary, and mixed histological types (p=0.000); significantly higher degrees of differentiation (p=0.011); a significantly lower number of cases with identified signet ring cells in tumors (p=0.000); a lower frequency of stage IV in patients; and a significant predominance of the intestinal and intermediate subtype according to P. Lauren classification (p=0.000). The overall five-year survival in patients with aberrant p53 expression was not significantly lower (p=0.392) than in patients with normal p53 expression (35.6%, median 36 months and 42.5%, median 51 months, respectively). According to the Cox proportional hazards regression model, the p53 expression level is not a significant prognostic sign (HR=1.281; CI: 0.818–2.008, p=0.280). In the group with aberrant p53 expression, a positive HER2 status was detected significantly more often (13.7%) than in the group with normal p53 expression (1.9%, p=0.000). Conclusion. The group with aberrant p53 expression can be considered as an immunohistochemical analog of the chromosomally unstable gastric cancer subtype (according to TCGA) and the MSS/TP53- subtype (according to ACRG). In the group with aberrant p53 expression, cases with a positive HER2 status were significantly more common. Keywords: р53, HER2/neu, ERBB2, gastric cancer, gastric adenocarcinoma, immunohistochemistry

Delayed body development with reduced triglycerides levels in leptin transgenic pigs.

Leptin is a well-known adipokine that plays critical role in adiposity. To further investigate the role of leptin in adiposity, we utilized leptin overexpressing transgenic pigs and evaluated the effect of leptin on growth and development, fat deposition, and lipid metabolism at tissue and cell level. Leptin transgenic pigs were produced and divided into two groups: elevated leptin expression (leptin ( +)) and normal leptin expression group (control). Results indicated that leptin ( +) pigs had elevated leptin protein and mRNA expression levels and exhibited sluggish growth and development followed by decreased subcutaneous fat thickness, low serum triglycerides, saturated, unsaturated fatty acids and high cholesterol esters (p < 0.05). There were differences in the lipid metabolism related genes at different fat depots, including upregulation of PPARγ, AGPAT6, PLIN2, HSL and ATGL in subcutaneous, PPARγ in perirenal, and FAT/CD36 and PLIN2 in mesenteric adipose tissues and downregulation of AGPAT6 and ATGL in perirenal and AGPAT6 in mesenteric adipose tissues (p < 0.05). Additionally, in-vitro cultured leptin ( +) preadipocytes exhibited upregulation of PPARγ, FAT/CD36, ACACA, AGPAT, PLIN2, ATGL and HSL as compared to control (p < 0.05). These findings suggested that homeostasis imbalance in lipolysis and lipogenesis at adipose tissue and adipocytes levels led to low subcutaneous fat depots in leptin overexpression pigs. These pigs can act as model for obesity and related metabolic disorder.

Significance of hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA synthase 2 on prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Objective: To explore the roll and function of hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA synthase 2 (HMGCS2) in the development and progression of human esophageal squamous cell carcimoma(ESCC). Method: Using immunohistochemistry, the expression of HMGCS2 was determined in 150 primary ESCC patients from July 2002 to December 2005 in the People's Hospital of Linzhou City, Henan Province. And HMGCS2 over-expression ESCC cell lines were established to verify HMGCS2 gene function. Result: In 150 cases of ESCCs, the expression rate of HMGCS2 was 58% (87/150), which was lower than 72% (108/150) in paired normal tissues, the difference was statistically significant (P=0.013). HMGCS2 down-regulated expression was associated with tumor cell differentiation (P=0.022), pT status (P=0.036), pN status (P=0.017) and TNM stage(P=0.012). The 5-years disease-specific survival (DSS) in down HMGCS2 expression group (14 months) was poorer than those in normal expression group (20 months; P=0.002). In addition, multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that HMGCS2 expression (Wald=7.136, P=0.008) was an independent risk factor for DSS. Furthermore, functional studies demonstrated that HMGCS2 gene could suppress the tumorigenic ability of ESCC cells (OD: 0.79±0.04 vs 1.25±0.68; P=0.01), the formation of colone (number of colones: 30±10 vs 189±15, P=0.002), and cell motility (number of cells: 27±14 vs 222±40, P=0.009). Conclusion: HMGCS2 can inhibit the proliferation and migration of ESCC cells, and could be an important candidate tumor suppressor gene for ESCC.

Expression of autophagy-related genes in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with tuberculous meningitis.

The expression of autophagy-related genes in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with tuberculous meningitis (TBM) and their clinical significance in patients with TBM was investigated. Sixty patients with TBM (observation group) and twenty healthy volunteers during the same period (control group) were selected and the cerebrospinal fluid was collected. The expression levels of p62, Beclin1 and LC3-II genes in cerebrospinal fluid were detected via semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and patients in observation group were divided into high expression and normal or low expression group on the basis of LC3-II expression levels. On the other hand, the contents of inflammatory factors interleukin-6, −10 (IL-6, −10), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were detected using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. The mRNA levels of p62, Beclin1 and LC3-II in cerebrospinal fluid of patients in observation were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.01). TUNEL assay showed that the apoptosis level of cerebro-spinal fluid in high expression was obviously lower than that in normal or low expression group (P<0.01); the content of IL-6 and TNF-α in cerebrospinal fluid in high expression was significantly lower than those in normal or low expression group (P<0.01); the content of IL-10 in cerebrospinal fluid in high expression was obviously higher than that in normal or low expression group (P<0.01). Correlation analysis revealed that LC3-II was positively correlated with IL-10, but negatively correlated with IL-6 and TNF-α. The mRNA levels of p62, Beclin1 and LC3-II in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with TBM are increased, there is a correlation between expression levels of autophagy-related genes and inflammatory factors, and the high expression of autophagy-related genes may have a protective effect on patients with TBM.

Long non-coding RNA ANRIL is associated with a poor prognosis of osteosarcoma and promotes tumorigenesis via PI3K/Akt pathway

AimIncreasing evidence has shown that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) ANRIL may function as oncogenes in various types of malignancies. However, there is still a lack of knowledge concerning its role in osteosarcoma (OS). In this study, we aimed to investigate the influence of ANRIL on cell proliferation and invasion of OS and to determine its association with clinicopathological features of the patients. MethodsThe tumor specimens and the adjacent normal tissues were collected from 57 OS patients and the expression level of ANRIL was quantified by RT-qPCR. High expression of ANRIL was defined as a relative mRNA expression of > 1.5 fold (tumor/normal). Knockdown of ANRIL was performed in human OS cell lines to investigate its influence on cell proliferation, apoptosis and invasion. In addition, expression of downstream genes in the transfected cells were determined by Western blot. ResultsThe expression level of ANRIL was significantly increased in OS tissues than in the adjacent normal tissues. 33 patients were included in the high expression group and the other 24 patients were included in the normal expression group. ANRIL expression was significantly associated with tumor size (5.7 cm ± 2.4 cm vs. 4.3 cm ± 1.7 cm, p = 0.02) and the 5-year survival rate (51.5% vs. 79.1%, p = 0.03). Knockdown of ANRIL could significantly induce cell apoptosis and inhibit cell proliferation and invasion. Moreover, knockdown of ANRIL could significantly decrease the expression level of phosphorylated PI3K and AKT in OS cells. ConclusionsUpregulated expression of ANRIL is associated with the tumor development and prognosis of OS. ANRIL may regulate the function of OS cells through the AKT pathway.

Predictive significance of HMGCS2 for prognosis in resected Chinese esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients.

Despite a series of attempts during the last decades, the prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains poor. Different responses of individual tumors encouraged us to look for valuable prognostic markers. As a key regulator controlling the anabolic ketogenic pathway, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase 2 (HMGCS2) has been reported to play a crucial role in colorectal cancer and prostate cancer. However, its importance to ESCC has not been verified. Therefore, a large cohort retrospective study was planned, to investigate the relationship between HMGCS2 expression and ESCC prognosis. By adopting real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemical (IHC) staining, HMGCS2 expression was examined in tissues of 300 ESCC patients with complete resection. Besides, the association between HMGCS2 protein expression and survival time was evaluated through chi-square test and Kaplan–Meier analysis. With the use of Cox-proportional hazards model, the prognostic impact of clinicopathologic variables and biomarker expression was evaluated. Compared with their non-tumor counterparts, HMGCS2 downregulation occurred in 65.5% and 37.6% of primary ESCCs on the mRNA and protein levels (P<0.001), respectively. On the protein level, HMGCS2 expression was associated with tumor cell differentiation (P=0.003), pT status (P=0.006), and TNM stage (P=0.010). In the down-HMGCS2 expression group, the 5-year overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) are poorer than those in the normal expression group (19 months vs 24 months, P=0.002; 13 months vs 17 months, P=0.007, respectively). According to the TNM stage, stratified analysis revealed that its discernibility on RFS was only pronounced in patients with advanced clinical stage (P=0.001). In addition, multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that HMGCS2 expression was an independent risk factor for RFS (P=0.032) instead of OS (P=0.099). The findings of this study provided the evidence that HMGSC2 represented a potential novel prognostic biomarker for ESCC patients.

The mechanism played by 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in treating renal fibrosis in diabetic nephropathy

Objective To observe the effects of 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 on the expressions of transforming growth factor-β 1(TGF-β1), fibronectin(FN), and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)in rats with diabetic nephropathy(DN), and to elucidate the protective mechanism played by 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. Methods DN models were estabolished by injecting streptozotoein(STZ)into male SD rats, which were divided into TGF-β1 overexpression group, TGF-β1 overexpression plus vitamin D3 group, TGF-β1 low-expression group, TGF-β1 low-expression plus vitamin D3 group, TGF-β1 normal-expression group, and TGF-β1 normal-expression plus vitamin D3 group.After 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 treatment for 37 days, renal function and blood biochemical parameters were evaluated. The morphology and fibrosis of kidney tissues were observed. The expressions of TGF-β1, FN, and VEGF in kidney cortex were measured by immunohistochemistry, realtime PCR, and Western blotting. Results The levels of cholesterol, triglyceride, creatinine, plasma glucose, HbA1C, and 24 h urinary protein were lower in vitamin D3treated groups than those in corresponding control groups(P<0.05). The degree of renal fibrosis was raised with the increased level of TGF-β1. Vitamin D3 treatment decreased the fibrosis in diabetic kidney.There were significant differences in the mRNA and protein expressions of TGF-β1 in three control groups(P<0.05). With the increased levels of TGF-β1, the expressions of FN and VEGF were increased. The expressions of TGF-β1, FN, and VEGF were lowered by vitamin D3compared with the corresponding control groups(P<0.05). Conclusion 1, 25-dihydroxy-vitamin D3 may protect the renal tissure in diabetic rats via inhibiting the expressions of TGF-β1, FN, and VEGF in the kidney. (Chin J Endocrinol Metab, 2015, 31: 793-799) Key words: Diabetic nephropathy; 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3; Transforming growth factor β 1

Expression pattern and clinicopathologic significance of NKD1 in human primary hepatocellular carcinoma.

It has been reported that NKD1 was an antagonist of the canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway. While there is little information regarding NKD1 expression pattern in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to investigate the clinicopathologic significance and expression pattern of NKD1 in HCC. NKD1 protein expressions in 69 paired HCC cancer/adjacent non-cancerous tissues were detected by Western blot. Immunohistochemical studies were performed on 58 cases of HCC with integrated clinical information. NKD1 protein expression was divided into normal and low expression group and correlations between NKD1 protein expression and clinicopathologic factors were then evaluated. Western blot results showed that NKD1 protein levels were significantly lower in cancerous tissues compared with corresponding normal tissue (p < 0.05). In addition, we found that the level of NKD1 protein expression in HCC was significantly associated with tumor size (p = 0.011), intra or extra-hepatic metastasis (p = 0.010) and differentiation (p = 0.003). This is to our knowledge the first report investigating NKD1 protein expression pattern in HCC. Our data show that decreased NKD1 protein expression is associated with clinicopathologic factors, and suggest that NKD1 may play an important role in the development of HCC and could serve as a novel biomarker for HCC after further investigation.

Reduced MUC4 expression is a late event in breast carcinogenesis and is correlated with increased infiltration of immune cells as well as promoter hypermethylation in invasive breast carcinoma.

Altered expression of MUC4 is associated with tumor progression and immune surveillance, but the potential involvement of MUC4 in breast carcinogenesis has not been rigorously assessed. Immunohistochemical staining with anti-MUC4 antibody was performed in a total of 324 patients with 26 normal breasts, 25 usual ductal hyperplasia, 76 ductal carcinoma in situ, and 198 invasive breast carcinoma (IBC) using tissue microarray. Immunohistochemical staining for CD8, CD57, and CD1a and methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction were also performed in IBC. Reduced MUC4 expression in IBC was significantly higher than in usual ductal hyperplasia and ductal carcinoma in situ (P<0.001 and P<0.01, respectively). Reduced MUC4 expression in IBC was significantly correlated with promoter hypermethylation (P<0.05). No association between MUC4 expression and patient outcomes was identified. Intratumoral CD8 T cells and stromal CD57 natural killer cells were significantly increased in the reduced MUC4 expression group compared with those in the normal expression group (P<0.01 and P<0.05, respectively). Our results suggest that tumor progression in breast epithelium is accompanied by reduced MUC4 protein expression. Reduced MUC4 expression correlates with increased tumor-infiltrating CD8 T and NK cells as well as promoter hypermethylation in IBC.

HMSH2 aberrant expression in patients with sporadic colorectal cancer in Xinjiang

To explore the significance of hMSH2 aberrant expression in patients with sporadic colorectal cancer in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Clinicopathological parameters and postoperative samples of 327 patients with sporadic colorectal cancer were collected in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Immunohistochemistry PV-9000 two-step method was performed to measure hMSH2 expression in the postoperative pathologic specimens. Prognostic value of hMSH2 expression was evaluated. Thirty-five (10.7%) patients showed aberrant nuclear staining of hMSH2 expression. The patients with aberrant expression of hMSH2 showed better prognosis than the normal expression group, with significant difference (P<0.05). In Xinjiang, aberrant hMSH2 expression can be regarded as an independent prognostic factor in patients with sporadic colorectal cancer.

Therapeutic potential of Dickkopf-1 in wild-type BRAF papillary thyroid cancer via regulation of β-catenin/E-cadherin signaling.

Aberrant activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway is a common pathogenesis of various human cancers. We investigated the role of the Wnt inhibitor, Dkk-1, in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Immunohistochemical β-catenin staining was performed in tissue microarray containing 148 PTCs and five normal thyroid tissues. In vivo effects of Dkk-1 were explored using ectopic tumors with BHP10-3SC cells. In 27 PTC patients, 60% of patients showed β-catenin up-regulation and Dkk-1 down-regulation in tumor vs normal tissues. Tissue microarray analysis showed that 14 of 148 PTC samples exhibited cytoplasmic-dominant β-catenin expression compared to membranous-dominant expression in normal tissues. Aberrant β-catenin expression was significantly correlated with higher rates of the loss of membranous E-cadherin expression and poor disease-free survival than that in the normal membranous expression group over a median follow-up period of 14 years. Implantation of Dkk-1-overexpressing BHP10-3SC cells revealed delayed tumor growth, resulting from the rescue of membranous β-catenin and E-cadherin expressions. Furthermore, tissue microarray analysis demonstrated that BRAF(WT) patients had higher rates of aberrant expressions of β-catenin and E-cadherin than BRAF(V600E) patients. Indeed, the inhibitory effects of Dkk-1 on cell survival were more sensitive in BRAF(WT) (BHP10-3SC and TPC-1) than in BRAF(V600E) (SNU-790 and BCPAP) cells. Overexpression of BRAF(V600E) in normal thyroid epithelial (H tori) cells also reduced the effects of Dkk-1 on cell survival. A subset of PTC patients showed aberrant expression of β-catenin/E-cadherin signaling and poor disease-free survival. Dkk-1 might have a therapeutic role, particularly in BRAF(WT) patients.

Prognostic implications of human leukocyte antigen class I expression in patients who underwent surgical resection for non–small-cell lung cancer

BackgroundThe purpose of the present study was to clarify the prognostic significance of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I expression in patients with non–small-cell lung cancer who underwent complete surgical resection. Patients and methodsThe expression of HLA class I molecules was evaluated in 403 resected NSCLC specimens using immunohistochemistry. The results were scored as the percentage of stained tumor cells and were categorized into three groups: 0%–24% (decreased), 25%–79% (heterogeneous), and 80% or more (normal). ResultsThe expression of HLA class I was evaluated in 124 tumors in the normal expression group, 181 tumors in the heterogeneous expression group, and 98 tumors in the decreased expression group. The 5-year survival rate of all patients after surgery according to the HLA class I expression in the normal, heterogeneous, and decreased groups was 76.6%, 65.9%, and 76.1%, respectively. The prognosis was significantly better in the normal expression group than in the heterogeneous group. Normal HLA class I expression also correlated with favorable survival in patients with stage I disease. ConclusionsThe normal expression of HLA class I was associated with a favorable prognosis compared with the heterogeneous expression group, but no significant difference was observed between the normal expression and decreased expression groups.

Reduced ACTC1 Expression Might Play a Role in the Onset of Congenital Heart Disease by Inducing Cardiomyocyte Apoptosis

The Cardiac α actin 1 gene (ACTC1) has been related to familial atrial septal defects. This study was set to explore a potential role of this gene in the formation of sporadic congenital heart disease (CHD). Assessment of cardiac tissue samples from 33 patients with sporadic CHD (gestational age (GA) 18 weeks-49 months) with real-time RT-PCR, Western blotting and immunohistochemistry has revealed a markedly decreased ACTC1 expression in the majority of samples (78.8%) compared with autopsied normal heart tissue from aged-matched subjects (GA 17 weeks-36 months). Also, as shown by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL) assay, the proportion of apoptotic cardiomyocytes in samples featuring down-regulated ACTC1 expression (Group 1) was significantly greater than those with normal expression (Group 2) and the controls (P<0.01). The proportion of apoptotic cells strongly correlated with the expression of ACTC1 (r=-0.918, P<0.01). A study of 2 essential genes involved in apoptosis, Caspase-3 and Bcl-2, confirmed that the former has significantly increased expression, whilst the latter has decreased expression in Group 1 than in the other groups (P<0.01). Transfection of a small interfering RNA targeting, Actc1 (Actc1-siRNA), to a cardiomyocyte cell line, H9C2, also detected more apoptotic cells. Reduced ACTC1 expression might play a role in the onset of CHD through induction of cardiomyocyte apoptosis.

Protein profiling of tumor tissues by surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry to discriminate between localized and metastatic renal cell carcinoma

e16098 Background: We previously reported that mRNA of interferon-alpha receptor type 2 (IFNAR2) was upregulated in metastatic and IFN-a resistant renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in comparison to localized RCC or metastatic tumors with good response to IFN-a (BMC Cancer, 2007). We speculated potential different molecular mechanism between above two groups. Protein profiling using human tumor tissues may give insight into cellular pathways leading to carcinogenesis and metastasis in RCC. Methods: We examined mRNAs expression for IFNAR2 in paired tumor and non-tumor samples from the surgical specimens of Japanese patients with RCC using a real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Then we selected representative five IFNAR2 upregulated clear cell carcinomas cases with metastatic tumor, five IFNAR2 upregulated metastatic sarcomatoid carcinomas, and five normal expression clear cell carcinomas with localized tumor. We investigated protein profiling in the tumor tissues of above three groups using surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF MS) coupled with IMAC-Cu chips. Results: For hierarchical clustering analysis, we used the 25 peaks which revealed significant differences in single-marker analysis in the range from 1,500 to 10,000 m/z. The heat map analysis based on the clustering distinguished completely metastatic tumors with IFNAR2 upregulated groups from localized tumors with IFNAR2 normal expression group. Furthermore, the heat map discriminated metastatic sarcomatoid carcinomas from metastatic clear cell carcinomas with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 80%. Conclusions: SELDI-TOF MS profiling of tumor tissues can be applied to differentiate patients with three types of RCCs. Our findings may reflect different molecular mechanism between localized and metastatic carcinomas, and the different response to immunotherapy with IFN-α. This may shed light on the potential therapeutic strategy for IFN-α treatment. However, further investigation is required to verify the usefulness of this method in clinical practice. No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Abnormal Fragile Histidine Triad Expression in Advanced Cervical Cancer and Evaluation of Its Utility as a Prognostic Factor

Objective: The relationship between the abnormal expression of fragile histidine triad (FHIT) and the prognosis in advanced cervical cancer was investigated, focusing on the relation with radiosensitivity. Methods: A retrospective study was performed in 54 patients with stage IIIb cervical squamous cell carcinoma who received radiation therapy as the initial treatment. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues were immunohistochemically stained using anti-FHIT antibody. The survival curve for patients with abnormal FHIT expression (low expression) was prepared and the prognosis was compared with that for the normal expression group. The decrease rate of the serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC) levels (SCC index = SCC level after radiotherapy/SCC level before radiotherapy) was calculated. Results: Abnormal FHIT expression was observed in 25 patients (46%). There were no significant differences in clinical backgrounds between the abnormal and normal FHIT expression groups. The 5-year survival rate was 72% in the abnormal expression group, showing no significant difference from that in the normal expression group (64%). The SCC indices were 0.21 ± 0.14 and 0.29 ± 0.19 in the abnormal and normal expression groups, respectively, showing no significant difference between the two groups. Conclusions: Abnormal FHIT expression was not correlated with radiosensitivity in patients with stage IIIb cervical cancer, showing that abnormal FHIT expression cannot be used as a prognostic factor.

Loss of hMLH1 expression correlates with improved survival in stage III–IV ovarian cancer patients

Pre-clinical data suggest a relationship between DNA MisMatch Repair (MMR) system failure, particularly the inactivation of genes hMLH1 and hMSH2, and resistance to drugs like cisplatin and carboplatin. We studied the correlation between loss of hMLH1 expression in tumour cells and clinical outcome in 38 patients with ovarian cancer, who underwent cisplatin-based chemotherapy. 19 patients (56%) showed loss of hMLH1 expression (Group A) while 15 patients (44%) showed normal hMLH1 expression (Group B). 4 patients were not evaluable for hMLH1 expression. The 2 groups of patients were similar for clinical characteristics, response to chemotherapy and time to progression. Group A patients showed a median survival of 55 months whereas Group B patients had a median survival of 12 months (P=0.014). Loss of hMLH1 expression was the only independent predictor of survival in the multivariate analysis. Our observations suggest a relationship between loss of hMLH1 and improved survival in advanced ovarian cancer.

Significance of E-cadherin/β-catenin complex and cyclin D1 in breast cancer

E-cadherin and beta-catenin are important epithelial adhesion molecules in normal epithelium. Loss of E-cadherin - beta-catenin adhesion is an important step in the progression of many epithelial malignancies. beta-catenin plays also a role in intracellular signaling and can function as an oncogene when binds to the T-cell factor 4 (Tcf4)-binding site in the promotor region of cyclin D1 and transactivates genes after translocation to the nucleus. We evaluated the immunohistochemical expression pattern of E-cadherin, beta-catenin in relationship with cyclin D1 overexpression, tumor stage, clinicopathologic parameters and patient survival in 128 mammary infiltrating duct carcinomas. The expression of E-cadherin/beta-catenin complex and beta-catenin/cyclin D1 double staining with confocal scanning laser microscope was evaluated. There were aberrant expressions in 78% of E-cadherin, 79% of beta-catenin, and 66% of cyclin D1 in breast cancer. There was correlation of aberrant expression of E-cadherin or beta-catenin with lymph node metastasis, survival rate, and survival length. However, there was no correlation of cyclin D1 overexpression with aberrant expression of E-cadherin or beta-catenin. No death was found in normal expression of beta-catenin, however lowest survival (50%) was found in nuclear beta-catenin expression. There was correlation of overexpression of cyclin D1 with survival rate and survival length. The highest survival rate and survival length were found in membranous normal beta-catenin expression group, however significant decrement of survival length was found in the groups of aberrant expression one or both of E-cadherin or/and beta-catenin. These results suggest that aberrant expression of E-cadherin, beta-catenin, and cyclin D1 may be involved in tumor metastasis, and analysis of the degree or the pattern of E-cadherin, beta-catenin, cyclin D1, and E-cadherin/beta-catenin complex may be good prognostic markers of mammary infiltrating duct carcinoma.