Correlation between laminin-5 gamma2 chain and epidermal growth factor receptor expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinomas.
OBJECTIVE
Laminin-5 gamma2 chain (LN-5 gamma2) is an extracellular matrix protein that plays an important role in cell migration and tumor invasion. We evaluated the association of LN-5 gamma2 and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).


METHODS
LN-5 gamma2 and EGFR expression was evaluated in 110 esophageal SCC patients by immunohistochemistry, and was confirmed using esophageal SCC cell lines by Western blot analysis.


RESULTS
LN-5 gamma2 expression in the invasive front of the tumor was correlated with the depth of invasion (p = 0.0001), lymph node metastasis (p = 0.0011) and pathological stage (p = 0.0001). The strong expression of EGFR was also correlated with lymph node metastasis (p = 0.0456) and the pathological stage (p = 0.0055). In patient survival, LN-5 gamma2 positivity and/or strong EGFR expression showed a significantly low survival rate as compared with those with lesser expression of LN-5 gamma2 and EGFR. Immunohistochemically, LN-5 gamma2 expression was significantly correlated with EGFR expression (p < 0.0001). Western blot analysis also confirmed the correlated expression of LN-5 gamma2 and EGFR in SCC cell lines except 2 of the 5 cell lines.


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that coexpression of LN-5 gamma2 and EGFR is closely related to the progression and poor prognosis of esophageal SCC.
Fukai
Yasuyuki
Y
Department of Tumor Pathology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Japan. yfukai@med.gunma-u.ac.jp
Masuda
Norihiro
N
Kato
Hiroyuki
H
Fukuchi
Minoru
M
Miyazaki
Tatsuya
T
Nakajima
Masanobu
M
Sohda
Makoto
M
Kuwano
Hiroyuki
H
Nakajima
Takashi
T
D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000032:analysis*; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000032:analysis*; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis; D000097794:Kalinin
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D066246:ErbB Receptors; D000097794:Kalinin