Expression of the 150-kd oxygen-regulated protein in human breast cancer

Tumor cells subjected to environmental stress, such as oxygen deprivation followed by reoxygenation, redirect biosynthetic pathways to express oxygen-regulated proteins (ORPs) and heat-shock proteins (HSPs). The 150-kd oxygen-regulated protein (ORP150) is a novel endoplasmic reticulum-associated polypeptide in the HSP70 family. In view of links between expression of HSPs/ORPs and tumor properties, especially tumor invasiveness and resistance to therapeutic regimens, expression of ORP150 in human breast cancers was examined. Western and Northern blotting demonstrated elevated expression of ORP150 in breast cancer, regardless of estrogen receptor status, compared with normal breast tissue. Immunohistochemical and in situ hybridization techniques revealed that infiltrating cancer cells in the stroma expressed ORP150 more strongly than large nests of cancer cells. Furthermore, pancreatic and thyroid carcinomas also displayed greater ORP150 expression. These results suggest that ORP150 is up-regulated in tumors and, in breast tumors, may be associated with tumor invasiveness.