High tricellulin expression is associated with better survival in human hepatoblastoma

The more differentiated fetal component of hepatoblastoma (HB) is characterized by increased expression of tight junction (TJ) proteins claudin-1 and -2 when compared with embryonal component. Expression patterns of the recently identified TJ protein tricellulin and the epigenetic regulator enzyme EZH2 were investigated in epithelial subtypes of HB and related to survival.

Twenty-one cases of epithelial HBs subtyped as pure fetal (n = 12) and embryonal/fetal (n = 9), along with 16 non-tumorous samples from surrounding liver, were analysed by immunohistochemistry for tricellulin, β-catenin and EZH2 expression. No significant differences were revealed in overall survival between fetal and embryonal/fetal types of HBs. The fetal component, however, showed considerably increased tricellulin expression while the embryonal component displayed significantly increased nuclear EZH2 positivity, in comparison to other epithelial subtypes and non-tumorous surrounding hepatocytes. Strong nuclear β-catenin staining was notably more frequent in embryonal than in fetal types. High tricellulin expression was associated with significantly increased overall survival (P = 0.03), while elevated EZH2 expression was linked to the presence of distant metastases (P = 0.013).

Our data indicate that patients with treated HBs showing high expression of tricellulin have significantly better overall survival, independent of histological subtype. Increased nuclear expression of EZH2 was associated with the presence of distant metastases.