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High frequency expressions of CD44 standard and variant forms in non-small cell lung cancers, but not in small cell
1Second Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Tokushima, Tokushima City, Japan. kondo@clin.med.tokushima-u.ac.jp
Background And Objectives:
Organ specificity has been demonstrated in the mode of CD44 expression among several cancers.
Methods:
We examined the expressions of CD44 standard (CD44s) and CD44 variants (CD44v) in 14 cell lines (small cell lung cancer (SCLC): 5, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): 9 and 20 surgically resected samples (SCLC: 7, NSCLC: 13) of lung cancer using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry.
Results:
Although both NSCLC and SCLC expressed CD44s, the frequency and intensity of CD44s expression in NSCLC were different from those in SCLC: cell lines, 89% vs. 40%; tumor samples, 100% (diffusely stained) vs. 57% (focally stained). CD44s expression was partially or completely repressed in SCLC. However, NSCLC frequently expressed CD44v, but SCLC expressed infrequently: cell lines, 67% vs. 20%; tumor samples, 69% vs. 0%. The N-417 line, which only expressed some CD44v in SCLC, falls SCLC and NSCLC both in biomarkers and in growth patterns.
Conclusions:
CD44 expression was repressed in SCLC but was enhanced in NSCLC.