Related Experiment Video For CD24
Updated: Mar 25, 2026
Immunohistochemical Staining of B7-H1 PD-L1 on Paraffin-embedded Slides of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Tissue
Published on: January 3, 2013
Immunocytochemical Analysis of Stem Cell Markers in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma
Rabeah Al-Temaimi1, Ali Al-Ali2,3, Bency John1
1Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Kuwait University, Jabriya, Kuwait.
Background:
Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) arises from transformed pancreatic stem cells. Different stemness pathways are thought to be involved in the progression of PDAC.
Objective:
To assess the expression of four stem cell markers to determine the best candidate for targeted therapy.
Methods:
Seventy-one PDAC cell blocks were immunoassayed for CD24, OCT4, DCLK1 and CD44 expression and genotyped for common KRAS mutations.
Results:
OCT4 was detected in 82.9% of PDAC and undetected in healthy pancreas. CD24 was detected in 23.9% of PDACs, while DCLK1 and CD44 were detected in 25.7% and 34.8% of PDACs, respectively. CD24 localisation was primarily nuclear in PDAC and membranous in healthy pancreas tissues. OCT4 expression and nuclear localisation correlated positively with CD24 expression and nuclear localisation (r = 0.264, p = 0.023; r = 0.238, p = 0.041, respectively). OCT4 expression was lower in KRAS mutation-positive specimens (β -0.54, 95% CI: -0.37 - (-0.088), p = 0.002).
Conclusion:
OCT4 expression is a specific biomarker for PDAC. Its increased expression signified PDAC progression and CD24 activation in a subset of PDAC. KRAS mutants have lower OCT4 expression, suggesting an alternative mechanism for cancer progression than that in OCT4 positive PDAC.
