HISTOLOGY AND HISTOPATHOLOGY

Cellular and Molecular Biology

 

Parafibromin expression in lung normal tissue and carcinoma: its comparison with clinicopathological parameters of carcinoma

Pu Xia1,2, Wei Wang1,2, Xiao-yan Xu2, Jian-ping Wang1,2, Yasuo Takano3 and Hua-chuan Zheng1,2

1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Basic Medicine, China Medical University, Shenyang, China, 2Institute of Pathology and Pathophysiology, College of Basic Medicine, China Medical University, Shenyang, China and 3Clinical Research Institute, Kanagawa Cancer Center, Yokohama, Japan.

Offprint requests to: Hua-chuan Zheng and Xiao-yan Xu, Institute of Pathology and Pathophysiology, China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, China. e-mail: zheng_huachuan@hotmail.com; flairxu@hotmail.com


Summary. Parafibromin is a protein encoded by the hyperparathyroidism 2 oncosuppressor gene and its down-regulated expression is involved in the pathogenesis of parathyroid, gastric and colorectal carcinomas. To clarify the roles of parafibromin expression in lung carcinomas, it was examined by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization on tissue microarray containing lung carcinomas (n=144) and normal lung tissue (n=20), with a comparison to clinicopathological parameters of carcinomas. Lung carcinoma cell lines and tissues were studied for parafibromin expression by Western blot and RT-PCR. Down-regulated expression of parafibromin mRNA was found in lung carcinoma in comparison with matched normal tissue (p<0.05). Parafibromin protein was found in the cilia and nuclei of pseudo-stratified columnar epithelium, and the nuclei of lung carcinoma. According to immunostaining and in situ hybridization, there was no difference in parafibromin expression between histological subtypes of lung carcinoma (p>0.05). The Kaplan-Meier method indicated that nuclear parafibromin expression was positively correlated with adenocarcinoma patients (p<0.05). Down-regulated parafibromin mRNA expression might play an important role in lung carcinogenesis, but not in its histogenesis. Strong parafibromin expression in cilia of the pseudo-stratified columnar epithelium indicated its possible involvement in cell mobility. Parafibromin expression could be employed to indicate the favorable prognosis of patients with adenocarcinoma
. Histol Histopathol 26, 1039-1047 (2011)

Key words: Lung carcinoma, Parafibromin, Pathogenesis, Progression, Prognosis

DOI: 10.14670/HH-26.1039