The role of p-STAT3 (ser727) revealed by its association with Ki-67 in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.
OBJECTIVE
Constitutive activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) has been described in many types of cancers. However, the role of phospho-STAT3 (p-STAT3) at serine residue 727 is in large part undetermined. Our purposes of this study were to evaluate the expression patterns of p-STAT3 (ser727) in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and to explore its possible role in the progression of cervical cancer.


METHODS
Paraffin-embedded sections from 56 patients including 20 CIN 1, 10 CIN 2, and 26 CIN 3 were collected in this study. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed, and the expression patterns of p-STAT3 (ser727) were categorized by semiquantitative method and further correlated with the CIN histopathologic grade using the chi(2) test with Bonferroni adjustment for multiple comparisons and with the proliferation marker Ki-67 expression using Fisher's Exact Test.


RESULTS
The categorized high p-STAT3 (ser727) expression group in nuclei of dysplastic cells was significantly higher in CIN 3 (76.92%), in comparison with CIN 1/2 (13.33%, P < 0.001). Moreover, both the nuclear and cytoplasmic p-STAT3 (ser727) expressions were correlated with Ki-67 nuclear staining (P < 0.001 and < 0.001, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Our result revealed that aberrant expression levels of p-STAT3 (ser727) were significantly correlated with CIN lesion grade and cell proliferation. Evaluation of p-STAT3 (ser727) expression may provide additional prognostic information for the clinical course of the disease and therefore to be developed as a prognostic indicator for cervical cancer.
Yang
Sheau-Fang
SF
Department of Pathology, Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital, No. 100, Tzyou 1st Road, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan.
Yuan
Shyng-Shiou F
SS
Yeh
Yao-Tsung
YT
Wu
Ming-Tsang
MT
Su
Jinu-Huang
JH
Hung
Sz-Chi
SC
Chai
Chee-Yin
CY
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D011379:Prognosis; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; D012694:Serine / Q000378:metabolism; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; C494086:STAT3 protein, human; D015534:Trans-Activators; D012694:Serine