Expression of nm23-H1 and nm23-H2 protein in endometrial carcinoma.
nm23 gene expression has been shown to be inversely correlated with tumour metastatic potential in some cancers but not in others. Examination was made of the expression of nm23-H1 and nm23-H2 gene products by immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting in 28 endometrial carcinomas. Immunohistochemistry indicated the cytoplasm of cancer cells to be positive, and myometrium and endometrial stromal cells negative, for nm23-H1 and -H2 protein. The staining intensity for these proteins was significantly stronger in well-differentiated adenocarcinomas (G1) than in those moderately differentiated (G2) (P < 0.05). nm23-H1 and -H2 proteins were shown by immunoblotting to be present at significantly higher levels in G1 than in G2 tumours (P < 0.05). Two of eight cases expressed high nm23-H1 and -H2 protein in poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas (G3). In G3 tumours, nm23 expression may be diverse. In this study, the expression of nm23-H1 and -H2 was not correlated with stage, metastasis, tumour size, myometrial invasion, oestrogen receptor, progesterone receptor or menopause. It follows from the findings presented above that the high expression of nm23-H1 and -H2 is positively correlated with histological differentiation.
Department of Pathology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan.
J
J
Watanabe
Y
Y
Sato
H
H
Kuramoto
T
T
Kameya
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008593:Menopause; D051379:Mice; D008875:Middle Aged; D020559:Monomeric GTP-Binding Proteins; D054778:NM23 Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinases; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009701:Nucleoside-Diphosphate Kinase / Q000096:biosynthesis; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000032:analysis; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000032:analysis; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis*
D054778:NM23 Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinases; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; D014157:Transcription Factors; C517938:NME1 protein, human; C517939:Nme1 protein, mouse; D009701:Nucleoside-Diphosphate Kinase; D020559:Monomeric GTP-Binding Proteins