title: RhoA protein expression correlates positively with degree of malignancy in astrocytomas.
abstract: Astrocytic tumors are the most common intracranial neoplasms. Their prognoses correlate with a conventional morphological grading system that suffers from diagnostic subjectivity and hence, inter-observer inconsistency. A molecular marker that provides an objective reference for classification and prognostication of astrocytic tumors would be useful in diagnostic pathology. RhoA, a GTPase protein involved in cell migration and adhesion, has been shown to be upregulated in a variety of human cancers. Based on direct analysis of clinical materials, our study demonstrates increased expression of RhoA in high-grade astrocytomas. This observation may be relevant to astrocytoma biology and the development of potential therapeutics against high-grade astrocytomas. Of more immediate consequence, utilization of this marker may aid in the routine pathological grading (and hence prognostication) of astrocytomas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, National University Hospital, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Benedict
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Han Hwan
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Chour
authors.forename: Bee Keow
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Peh
authors.forename: Chinghway
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salto-Tellez
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000473:pathology; D016612:Paraffin Embedding; D016707:Tissue Fixation; D015854:Up-Regulation; D020742:rhoA GTP-Binding Protein / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D020742:rhoA GTP-Binding Protein