title: Expression of CD44v3 splice variant is associated with the visceral metastatic phenotype of human melanoma.
abstract: We analyzed the immunohistochemical expression of the metastasis-associated protein, CD44v3, in 46 primary human malignant melanomas (MMs). This is the first time that the v3 splice variant of CD44 was found to be expressed in human melanomas (15 of 46), ranging from 3% to 35% of the cell population in the positive tumors. The expression of CD44v3 was observed in tumors thicker than 1.0 mm, and one-third of these tumors proved to be positive irrespective of the thickness. Patients were followed for a minimum of 61 months. The onset of lymph node or organ metastases occurred not later than 58 months and 60 months, respectively. Of the 15 CD44v3 positive tumors, 14 were observed in the organ metastatic tumor group, comprising the majority of those cases (14 of 21), and this association proved to be statistically significant compared with the non-metastatic (P<0.05) and lymph-node metastatic cases (P<0.01). CD44v3 expression in melanoma was also confirmed at the protein and messenger (mRNA) level in several human melanoma cell lines using flow cytometry and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis. In parallel to CD44v3, MMP-2 expression (determined using immunohistochemistry) was significantly elevated (P<0.05) but only in the organ metastatic group of MM. The 5-year survival of patients having thicker tumors than 1.0 mm (where v3 expression occurred) who had CD44v3+ tumors was significantly lower than those of the negative ones (35.7% versus 68.2%, respectively; P=0.025). Finally, we observed that the CD44v3-expressing tumors were characterized by significantly higher MMP-2 expression than the CD44v3-negative tumors (P<0.001), indicating a possible correlation between CD44v3- and MMP-2-positive phenotype and the organ metastatic potential of MM.
authors.affiliation: First Institute of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research, Semmelweis University of Medicine, Budapest.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Döme
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Somlai
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ladányi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fazekas
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zöller
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tímár
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D006801:Humans; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008545:Melanoma / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D010641:Phenotype; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: C121450:CD44V3,8-10; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2