HPV related VIN: highly proliferative and diminished responsiveness to extracellular signals.
Vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) is a premalignant disorder caused by human papillomaviruses. Basic knowledge about the molecular pathogenesis of VIN is sparse. Therefore, we have analyzed the gene expression profile of 9 VIN samples in comparison to 10 control samples by using genome wide Affymetrix Human U133A plus2 GeneChips. Results were validated by quantitative real-time RT-PCR analysis and immunostaining of a few representative genes (TACSTD1, CCNE2, AR and ESR1). Significance analysis of microarrays (SAM) showed that 1,497 genes were differentially expressed in VIN compared to controls. By analyzing the biological processes affected by the observed differences, we found that VIN appears to be a highly proliferative disease; many cyclins (CCNA, CCNB and CCNE) and almost all prereplication complex proteins are upregulated. Thereby, VIN does not seem to depend for its proliferation on paracrine or endocrine signals. Many receptors (for example ESR1 and AR) and ligands are downregulated. Furthermore, although VIN is not an invasive disease, the inhibition of expression of a marked number of cell-cell adhesion molecules seems to indicate development towards invasion. Upon reviewing apoptosis and angiogenesis, it was observed that these processes have not become significantly disregulated in VIN.


CONCLUSIONS
although VIN is still a premalignant disease, it already displays several hallmarks of cancer.
Santegoets
Lindy A M
LA
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. l.santegoets@erasmusmc.nl
Seters
Manon van
Mv
Helmerhorst
Theo J M
TJ
Heijmans-Antonissen
Claudia
C
Hanifi-Moghaddam
Payman
P
Ewing
Patricia C
PC
van Ijcken
Wilfred F J
WF
van der Spek
Peter J
PJ
van der Meijden
Willem I
WI
Blok
Leen J
LJ
D000328:Adult; D052685:Alphapapillomavirus; D002278:Carcinoma in Situ / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology*; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014846:Vulvar Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology*
D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins