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Heat shock protein expression in human gliomas
1Institute of Brain Research, Medical School, University of Tübingen, Calwer Str. 3, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany. herwig.strik@med.uni-tuebingen.de
Anticancer Research
|February 24, 2001
Summary
Heat shock proteins (HSP) are important in cancer prognosis. This study found that differences in HSP expression do not explain why astrocytic and oligodendroglial tumors respond differently to treatment.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Heat shock proteins (HSP) are cytoprotective and antiapoptotic.
- HSP expression may predict clinical prognosis in various cancers.
- Astrocytic and oligodendroglial tumors show differential responses to therapy and prognosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if differences in HSP expression account for the varied response to radiochemotherapy and prognosis in astrocytic and oligodendroglial tumors.
- To analyze the expression patterns of specific HSPs in different glioma subtypes.
Main Methods:
- Immunohistochemistry was used to examine the expression of aB-crystallin, HSP27, HSP70, HSC70 (HSP73), and HSP90.
- The study included 44 human gliomas: low-grade and anaplastic astrocytomas, low-grade and anaplastic oligodendrogliomas, and glioblastomas.
Main Results:
- HSP expression was detected in the tumor parenchyma of all high-grade gliomas and most low-grade gliomas, including oligodendrogliomas.
- Endothelial cells in glioblastomas showed higher positivity for HSC70 and HSP90, but lower for HSP27, compared to other tumors.
- HSP were also present in macrophages/microglial cells, but without a tumor-specific pattern.
Conclusions:
- The differential expression patterns of heat shock proteins do not appear to explain the varying responses of these tumors to adjuvant cytotoxic therapy.
- Further research may be needed to identify other factors influencing treatment response and prognosis in gliomas.