Expression of matricellular proteins in human uterine leiomyomas and normal myometrium

Michal Bogusiewicz¹, Andrzej Semczuk¹, Malgorzata Juszczak², Ewa Langner^2,3, Katarzyna Walczak^2,3, Wojciech Rzeski^2,4, Jacek Tomaszewski¹ and Tomasz Rechberger<sup>1

1</sup>2nd Department of Gynecology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland, ²Department of Medical Biology, Institute of Agricultural Medicine, Lublin, Poland, ³Department of Pharmacology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland and ⁴Department of Virology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Lublin, Poland.

Offprint requests to: Andrzej Semczuk, 2^nd Department of Gynecology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland. e-mail: andrzej.semczuk@am.lublin.pl


Summary. Growth of human leiomyomas can probably be initiated as a response to injury, in a way similar to the development of keloids. Among many bioactive molecules, which are implicated in tissue repair, a pivotal role is attributed to matricellular proteins. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the immunohistochemical expression of tenascin-C (TNC), thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), SPARC/osteonectin and tenascin-X (TNX) in human uterine leiomyomas and normal myometrium. Immunostaining was performed on 33 pairs of paraffin-fixed sections and 9 cell-lines derived from uterine leiomyomas and normal myometrium. Fifteen (45.5%) leiomyomas investigated were positive for TNC, whereas all normal myometrial samples were immunonegative (χ²=19.41; p<0.001). Immunostaining for TSP-1 was observed in 20 (60.6%) uterine fibroids and in 12 (36.4%) control samples (χ²=3.88; p<0.05). The expression of SPARC/osteonectin protein was more frequently found in leiomyomas than in normal myometrium, but this difference was not significant. Apart from one fibroid culture and one myometrial culture, all the others revealed strong TNC immunostaining. Expression of TSP-1 and SPARC/osteonectin was weak to moderate in all established cell-lines. None of the tissues or cell lines investigated showed positive staining for TNX. In conclusion, TSP-1 and TNC are likely to play important roles in the pathogenesis of uterine leiomyomas, presumably affecting cell proliferation and/or extracellular matrix deposition. Histol Histopathol 27, 1495-1502 (2012)

Key words: Uterine leiomyoma, Matricellular proteins, Thrombospondin-1, Tenascin-C

DOI: 10.14670/HH-27.1495