Cell senescence in myxoid/round cell liposarcoma

Christina Kåbjörn Gustafsson1, Anders Ståhlberg1, Katarina Engtröm2

  • 1Sahlgrenska Cancer Center, Department of Pathology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Gothenburg, Box 425, 40530 Gothenburg, Sweden.

Sarcoma
|August 6, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Myxoid/round cell liposarcoma (MLS/RCLS) tissues show significant populations of senescent tumor cells. This senescence, indicated by specific protein expression, may explain the slow growth rate characteristic of this liposarcoma subtype.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Cell Biology
  • Cancer Research

Background:

  • Myxoid/round cell liposarcoma (MLS/RCLS) is a common liposarcoma subtype.
  • MLS/RCLS is driven by FUS-DDIT3 or EWSR1-DDIT3 fusion oncogenes.
  • Previous studies noted cell cycle dysregulation but limited G1/S phase progression in MLS/RCLS.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of cell senescence in MLS/RCLS.
  • To identify specific senescence-associated proteins expressed in MLS/RCLS tumor tissues.

Main Methods:

  • Immunohistochemistry was employed to analyze protein expression.
  • The study included 17 cases of MLS/RCLS.

Main Results:

  • Large subpopulations of MLS/RCLS tumor cells expressed RBL2, senescence-associated heterochromatin protein 1γ (SAH1γ), and IL8 receptor β (IL8Rβ).
  • These findings indicate the presence of senescent cells within MLS/RCLS tumors.

Conclusions:

  • MLS/RCLS tissues harbor significant populations of senescent tumor cells.
  • Tumor cell senescence may contribute to the typically slow growth rate observed in MLS/RCLS.