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Vascular endocan (ESM-1) is markedly overexpressed in clear cell renal cell carcinoma
Xavier Leroy1, Sebastien Aubert, Laurent Zini
1Department of Pathology, University Hospital, CHRU & Lille II University, Lille, France. x-leroy@chru-lille.fr
Aims:
In kidney cancer, new anti-angiogenic therapies have emerged requiring parameters of effectiveness. The aim was to analyse the expression of endocan or endothelial cell-specific molecule-1, which is a proteoglycan up-regulated in presence of pro-angiogenic factors.
Method And Results:
We investigated 44 renal clear cell carcinomas (RCC) and 25 papillary carcinomas (PC). Circulating endocan was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) in 14 patients with RCC, in eight with PC and in 15 healthy volunteers. Endocan was detected by immunohistochemistry in endothelial cells in almost all the cases of RCC without immunoreactivity in tumour cells. In PC, only 5/25 tumours exhibited weak immunoreactivity. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction study confirmed that endocan levels were strongly increased in RCC. Endocan was also detected by ELISA at levels from 3- to 10-fold higher in the sera of patients with RCC. In vitro, addition of sunitinib prevented the release of endocan in human umbilical vascular endothelial cells when induced by vascular endothelial growth factor.
Conclusions:
Our results showed that endocan is overexpressed in patients with RCC. Endocan could therefore appear as a marker of interest in the follow-up and may be a potential parameter to monitor the tumour response to anti-angiogenic therapeutics.
Insights
Endocan, a molecule linked to blood vessel growth, is significantly elevated in kidney cancer patients. This finding suggests endocan may serve as a biomarker for monitoring kidney cancer progression and response to anti-angiogenic treatments.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Emergence of novel anti-angiogenic therapies for kidney cancer necessitates validated effectiveness parameters.
- Endocan (endothelial cell-specific molecule-1) is a proteoglycan known to increase with pro-angiogenic factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the expression of endocan in different types of kidney cancer.
- To evaluate endocan as a potential biomarker for monitoring anti-angiogenic therapy response.
Main Methods:
- Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and immunohistochemistry were used to detect circulating and tissue endocan.
- Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) quantified endocan gene expression.
- In vitro studies assessed the effect of sunitinib on endocan release.
Main Results:
- Endocan was detected in the sera of patients with renal clear cell carcinoma (RCC) and papillary carcinoma (PC).
- Immunohistochemistry revealed endocan expression in endothelial cells of RCC, with minimal expression in PC.
- RT-PCR and ELISA confirmed significantly elevated endocan levels in RCC patients compared to controls.
- Sunitinib treatment inhibited vascular endothelial growth factor-induced endocan release in vitro.
Conclusions:
- Endocan is overexpressed in patients with renal clear cell carcinoma.
- Endocan shows potential as a biomarker for kidney cancer follow-up.
- Endocan may serve as a parameter to monitor therapeutic response to anti-angiogenic drugs.
