Overexpression of the Pluripotent Stem Cell Marker Podocalyxin in Prostate Cancer

Podocalyxin, a member of the CD34 family of cell surface sialomucins, is overexpressed in human embryonal carcinoma cell lines, as well as in several cancer types, and is associated with poor prognosis. Podocalyxin variants are associated with an increased risk and aggressiveness of prostate cancer. Herein podocalyxin protein expression in prostate cancer was characterized.

Expression of podocalyxin as well as of TRA-1-60 and TRA-1-81 antigens was assessed immunohistochemically in 84 radical prostatectomy specimens and in adjacent normal tissues.

Podocalyxin expression and H-scores were considerably higher in prostate tumors compared to normal tissues. High TRA-1-60 and TRA-1-81 staining was detected, however, in a much smaller percentage of prostate tumors, while their expression and H-scores were low in normal tissues. Similar trends for all three proteins were observed in prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia.

Overexpression of podocalyxin in prostate cancer renders the protein a putative immunohistochemical marker of prostate cancer that may contribute to stratification of patients for optimal treatment.