Whole-mount prostate sections reveal differential endoglin expression in stromal, epithelial, and endothelial cells with the development of prostate cancer.
Endoglin is a nonsignaling receptor for transforming growth factor that contributes to the action of this growth factor in diverse cell types. It may also exhibit a function of its own. Endoglin levels vary with disease states and is a marker of new blood vessels. We studied endoglin expression in whole-mount prostate sections from 64 patients with localized prostate cancer, assessing reactivity in the epithelium, the stroma, and blood vessels. Cells in normal/benign acini were negative but significantly immunoreactive (P<0.001) in both prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN; 52% of cases) and malignant areas (77% of cases). In tumors, this involved less than 25% of malignant cells in 59% of specimens. The endoglin-stained stroma was detected mainly in areas surrounding PIN acini and tumors. Endoglin antibodies detected more microvessels than von Willebrand Factor antibodies in all prostatic areas (P<0.01). In addition, the number of microvessels increased with the development of cancer and correlated with Gleason score (P<0.01). Changes in endoglin expression in PIN and malignant cells, the surrounding stroma, and related blood vessels, suggest that endoglin function may be altered in prostate cancer.
Kassouf
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W
Urologic Oncology Research Group, Research Institute, and Departments of Surgery, Urology Division, Medicine and Oncology, McGill University Health Center, Montreal, Canada.
Ismail
H R A
HR
Aprikian
A G
AG
Chevalier
S
S
D000368:Aged; D015703:Antigens, CD; D001706:Biopsy; D000071063:Endoglin; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008833:Microcirculation; D008875:Middle Aged; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic; D011467:Prostate / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D017154:Stromal Cells; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D014841:von Willebrand Factor / Q000032:analysis
D015703:Antigens, CD; C064206:ENG protein, human; D000071063:Endoglin; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1; D014841:von Willebrand Factor