High frequency expressions of CD44 standard and variant forms in non-small cell lung cancers, but not in small cell lung cancers.
OBJECTIVE
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.
Kondo
K
K
Second Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Tokushima, Tokushima City, Japan. kondo@clin.med.tokushima-u.ac.jp
Miyoshi
T
T
Hino
N
N
Shimizu
E
E
Masuda
N
N
Takada
M
M
Uyama
T
T
Monden
Y
Y
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D018287:Carcinoma, Large Cell / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005091:Exons; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors