Overexpression of the anti-adhesin podocalyxin is an independent predictor of breast cancer progression.
Podocalyxin is a CD34-related cell surface molecule with anti-adhesive qualities. We probed a tissue microarray (n = 272) linked to long-term outcome data and found that podocalyxin was highly overexpressed in a distinct subset of invasive breast carcinomas (n = 15; 6%). Univariate disease-specific (P < 0.01) and multivariate regression (P < 0.0005) analyses indicated that this overexpression is an independent indicator of poor outcome. Forced podocalyxin expression perturbed cell junctions between MCF-7 breast carcinoma cells, and it caused cell shedding from confluent monolayers. Therefore, podocalyxin overexpression is a novel predictor of breast cancer progression that may contribute to the process by perturbing tumor cell adhesion.
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of British Columbia, 2177 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z3.
Aruna
A
Somasiri
Julie S
JS
Nielsen
Nikita
N
Makretsov
Marcia L
ML
McCoy
Leah
L
Prentice
C Blake
CB
Gilks
Stephen K
SK
Chia
Karen A
KA
Gelmon
David B
DB
Kershaw
David G
DG
Huntsman
Kelly M
KM
McNagny
Calvin D
CD
Roskelley
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007365:Intercellular Junctions / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D011379:Prognosis; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins; C001643:podocalyxin