Expression of galectin-3 and carcinoembryonic antigen in the trophoblast of the gestational trophoblastic disease.
OBJECTIVE
Galectin-3, an endogenous beta-galactoside- binding protein, has been implicated in the regulation of many physiological and pathological cellular processes through specific interactions with complementary ligands. The level of galectin-3 expression has been correlated with metastatic potential in many tumor types. The present study was designed to investigate possible correlation of the expression of galectin-3 with carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), one of the putative galectin-3 ligands, in the transformed trophoblast of the gestational trophoblastic diseases (GTDs) compared to the invasive trophoblast (interstitial and endovascular) of the normal first trimester of pregnancy placenta.


METHODS
Double immunohistochemistry was used to examine paraffin sections of 9 specimens of normal placenta, 8 cases of invasive mole and 7 cases of choriocarcinoma. Immunoreactivity was scored semiquantitatively to include both the percent of trophoblast cells stained as well as the intensity of staining.


RESULTS
Data presented here demonstrate similar patterns of expression for galectin-3 and CEA in transformed GTDs trophoblastic cells, as well as in normal invasive trophoblast. Upregulation of galectin-3 in transformed GTDs trophoblast was followed by high levels of CEA expression in the same tissue specimen (significant differences at < 0.05, Mann-Whitney Rank Sum Test).


CONCLUSIONS
These results may point to the CEA as one of the ligands for galectin-3 in transformed trophoblast, which merits further investigation.
Bozić
M
M
Institute for the Application of Nuclear Energy, INEP, Zemun-Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro.
Golubović
S
S
Petronijević
M
M
Vićovac
Lj
Lj