title: Molecular and immunohistochemical study of class I growth factor receptors in squamous cell lung carcinomas.
abstract: The class I growth factor receptor family includes epidermal growth factor receptor, i.e. c-erbB-1, c-erbB-2 and c-erbB-3 molecules. These receptors have a significant sequence homology and play an important role in cell growth and differentiation. To further investigate their implication in squamous cell lung carcinomas (SqCLCs), we studied the protein expression by immunohistochemistry and examined for possible gene amplification by a novel semi-quantitative differential polymerase chain reaction (DPCR) technique. Expression of c-erbB-1, c-erbB-2 and c-erbB-3 was present in 65%, 28% and 10% respectively, of 40 SqCLCs cases. Seven of the 11 cases that expressed c-erbB-2, as well as all 4 c-erbB-3 expressing cases, also stained with the anti-c-erbB-1 mAb. Expression of c-erbB-1, but not of c-erbB-2 or c-erbB-3, correlated with the grade of tumor differentiation (100%, 64% and 36% positive cases of well, moderately and poorly differentiated cases respectively, p < 0.003). In addition, c-erbB-1 expression correlated with the presence of regional lymph node metastases within the moderately differentiated group. The c-erbB-1 gene was amplified in 11/40 (28%) cases, all of which overexpressed c-erbB-1 protein, while c-erbB-2 gene amplification was detected in only one case. There was no c-erbB-3 gene amplification in any of the 40 SqCLCs cases. These findings suggest that c-erbB-1, c-erbB-2 and c-erbB-3 receptors do not have a common role and are of different physiological importance, at least at the stage of clinically overt tumor in human SqCLCs.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Propedeutic Medicine, University of Athens Medical School, Greece.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gorgoulis
authors.forename: P P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Sfikakis
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Karameris
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Papastamatiou
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Trigidou
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Veslemes
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Spandidos
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sfikakis
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jordanoglou
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D017931:DNA Primers; D005784:Gene Amplification; D018815:Genes, erbB / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018739:Oncogene Proteins v-erbB / Q000032:analysis; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D017978:Receptors, Growth Factor / Q000032:analysis*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D018739:Oncogene Proteins v-erbB; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D017978:Receptors, Growth Factor