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Updated: Jan 20, 2026

Heterogeneity Mapping of Protein Expression in Tumors using Quantitative Immunofluorescence
Published on: October 25, 2011
Expression of proteins related to autotaxin-lysophosphatidate signaling in thyroid tumors
Eunah Shin1,2, Ja Seung Koo3,4
1Department of Pathology, CHA Gangnam Medical Center, CHA University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
Background:
We aimed to investigate the expression of proteins related with autotaxin (ATX)-lysophosphatidate (LPA) signaling and the clinical implications in primary and metastatic thyroid tumors.
Methods:
We constructed tissue microarrays with 545 primary thyroid tumors [338 papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), 111 follicular carcinoma (FC), 69 medullary carcinoma (MC), 23 poorly differentiated carcinoma (PDC), and four anaplastic carcinoma (AC)]. Immunohistochemical stains for proteins related to ATX-LPA signaling (e.g., ATX, LPA1, LPA2, and LPA3) were performed.
Results:
The expression of ATX was highest in MC, while the LPA1 expression was higher in PDC and AC, and the expression of LPA2 and LPA3 was highest in PTC (p < 0.001). Additionally, the expression of ATX, LPA1, and LPA2 was higher in conventional-type PTC than in follicular-variant PTC (p < 0.05). PTC with BRAF V600E mutation showed higher expression of ATX, LPA1, LPA2, and LPA3 than PTC without BRAF V600E mutation (p < 0.001). In univariate analysis, ATX positivity (p = 0.005) and LPA1 positivity (p = 0.014) were correlated with shorter overall survival in PTC.
Conclusion:
Proteins related to the ATX-LPA axis showed different levels of expression in primary thyroid tumors according to subtype.
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