Cytoplasmic localization of p63 is associated with poor patient survival in lung adenocarcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the significance of p63 protein expression in the development and progression of lung adenocarcinoma.


RESULTS
The expression of p63 was immunohistochemically investigated in 92 cases of lung adenocarcinoma with a maximum diameter of 30 mm or less. p63 expression was observed not only in the nuclei (46/92 cases, 50%), but also in the cytoplasm of neoplastic cells (47/92, 51%). Nuclear localization of p63 was correlated with nuclear accumulation of p53 (P=0.0120), whereas the presence of nuclear p63 had no apparent effect on patient survival. Cytoplasmic localization of p63 was found to be correlated with shorter survival periods by univariate and multivariate analyses (P=0.0486 and P=0.0488, respectively) and the relation was independent of clinicopathological factors. Cytoplasmic localization of p63 was further confirmed by immunoblots of the cytoplasmic fraction of HLC-1, a lung adenocarcinoma cell line which predominately expressed DeltaNp63alpha transcript relative to TAp63 transcript by quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction.


CONCLUSIONS
Cytoplasmic expression of p63 is an adverse prognostic factor in patients with adenocarcinoma of the lung.
Narahashi
T
T
Department of Human Pathology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolitan Komagome Hospital, Japan.
Niki
T
T
Wang
T
T
Goto
A
A
Matsubara
D
D
Funata
N
N
Fukayama
M
M
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000378:metabolism
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C081876:CKAP4 protein, human; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53