title: Expression of apoptosis-related proteins in endometriomas and benign and malignant ovarian tumours.
abstract: Apoptosis is a physiological process by which multicellular organisms eliminate superfluous cells. Alterations in apoptosis play a key role in tumour development. The objective was to evaluate the immunohistochemical expression of p53, p21, bax, bak, fas, bcl-2 and bcl-x proteins in 10 endometriomas, 20 benign ovarian tumours (10 mucinous, 10 serous) and 30 malignant ovarian tumours (9 mucinous, 19 serous; 2 endometrioids). p53 positive cells (mean+/-SD) in endometriomas, and benign and malignant tumours were 1.9+/-3.2, 0 and 16.2+/-33.0, respectively. The difference was significant between benign tumours and endometriomas (P=0.003) but not between endometriomas and malignant tumours. P21 expression in endometriomas and benign and malignant tumours was 19.5+/-27.8, 1.7+/-6.7 and 4.1+/-8.6, respectively. Increased p21 expression was found in endometriomas compared with benign (P=0.001) and malignant (P=0.01) tumours. Bax expression was higher in endometriomas than in benign tumours (P=0.01), but no difference was found between endometriomas and malignant tumours. No difference in bak, fas, bcl-2 or bcl-x expression was observed among the groups. In endometriomas, a negative correlation was found between p53 and fas expression (P=0.04, r=0.66). Although endometriomas have histological features of benign ovarian tumours, endometriomas share with malignant ovarian tumours certain alterations in apoptosis-related proteins.
authors.affiliation: Service de Gynécologie, Hôpital Hôtel-Dieu, AP-HP, France.
authors.forename: Raffaèle
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fauvet
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Poncelet
authors.forename: Danièle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hugol
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lavaur
authors.forename: Gérard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Feldmann
authors.forename: Emile
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Daraï
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017209:Apoptosis; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D002452:Cell Count; D050759:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21; D016213:Cyclins / Q000378:metabolism; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000378:metabolism; D050998:bcl-2 Homologous Antagonist-Killer Protein; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D051020:bcl-X Protein; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C494772:BAK1 protein, human; C494826:BAX protein, human; C494811:BCL2L1 protein, human; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C493956:CDKN1A protein, human; D050759:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21; D016213:Cyclins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D050998:bcl-2 Homologous Antagonist-Killer Protein; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D051020:bcl-X Protein; D019014:fas Receptor