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Published on: December 31, 2015
Expression of the CD44 adhesion molecule in primary and metastatic gynecologic malignancies and their cell lines
J.-H. Lee1, Y.-S. Kang, B.-G. Kim
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Samsung Medical Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Laboratory of Biochemistry, Korea Cancer Center Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Abstract:
CD44 is a cell-surface molecule that has been shown to have several splicing isoforms. In various human tumors, such as primary colon and breast tumors, and their metastases, alterations of CD44 isoform expression have been reported. The present study was performed to investigate CD44 alternative transcript splicing in gynecologic malignancies. We performed reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis of CD44 splice variant expression on mRNA transcripts from ovarian carcinomas (six primary and 15 metastatic tumors) from 21 patients and from cervical carcinomas (25 primary and two metastatic tumors) from 25 patients. We also performed this analysis on five different ovarian carcinoma cell lines established from ascitic fluid and primary tumors, and two cervical carcinoma cell lines. We included eight normal female genital tissue specimens and one additional placenta specimen in our RT-PCR analysis for comparison with CD44 expression of carcinomas. The CD44H isoform was amplified in all of the specimens. None of eight normal tissue specimens, including myometrium and ovary, expressed CD44R1 transcripts. But the CD44R1 transcript was expressed in 2/6 (33.3%) primary ovarian carcinomas and in 7/15 (46.6%) metastatic ovarian carcinomas. In cervical carcinoma, 13/25 (52.0%) primary tumors and 2/2 (100.0%) metastatic tumors expressed CD44R1. The CD44R1 transcript was expressed increasingly during ovarian and cervical tumor progression (P = 0.026 and P = 0.002, respectively). In conclusion, the frequency of CD44R1 transcript expression increased during ovarian and cervical carcinoma progression, and analysis of CD44 splice variants may be useful in detecting primary and metastatic gynecologic malignancies.
Insights
The CD44R1 transcript is increasingly expressed in ovarian and cervical cancers. This finding suggests that CD44 splice variant analysis may aid in detecting gynecologic malignancies.
Area of Science:
- Gynecologic Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Cancer Research
Background:
- CD44 is a cell-surface molecule with multiple splicing isoforms.
- Altered CD44 isoform expression is observed in various human tumors, including breast and colon cancers.
- Investigating CD44 alternative splicing in gynecologic malignancies is crucial for understanding cancer progression.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate CD44 alternative transcript splicing in gynecologic malignancies.
- To analyze CD44 splice variant expression in ovarian and cervical carcinomas.
- To determine the correlation between CD44R1 expression and tumor progression.
Main Methods:
- RT-PCR analysis of CD44 splice variant expression on mRNA transcripts.
- Analysis of ovarian and cervical carcinomas (primary and metastatic).
- Comparison with normal female genital tissue and placenta specimens.
Main Results:
- CD44H isoform was amplified in all specimens.
- CD44R1 transcripts were not detected in normal tissues but were present in ovarian and cervical carcinomas.
- CD44R1 expression increased significantly during ovarian (P=0.026) and cervical (P=0.002) carcinoma progression.
Conclusions:
- The frequency of CD44R1 transcript expression increases with tumor progression in ovarian and cervical cancers.
- CD44 splice variant analysis holds potential for detecting primary and metastatic gynecologic malignancies.
- Further research into CD44 isoforms could lead to novel diagnostic markers for gynecologic cancers.
