title: Expression of the apoptosis inhibitor livin in renal cell carcinomas: correlations with pathology and outcome.
abstract: Livin has recently been identified as a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis family expressed in several types of cancer but not in most benign tissues. Expression levels of livin were associated with prognosis in various malignancies, but livin expression and its prognostic relevance have not been evaluated in renal cell carcinomas (RCC). In a cohort of 152 RCC patients, we analyzed the relative expression of livin and its splicing variants by real-time RT-PCR and Western blot in tumor and adjacent normal renal tissue specimens. Livin expression was detected in 59 (38.8%) of 152 RCC specimens but in none of the normal samples. Both splicing variants were present in the livin-positive RCC specimens. Livin expression levels did not correlate with pathological or clinical parameters and were not predictive of patient outcome. Our findings suggest that livin expression in RCC is not of prognostic relevance. Further studies to clarify the role of livin expression in RCC and its potential value as a target for immune-mediated tumor destruction are warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Charité, Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany. carsten.kempkensteffen@charite.de
authors.forename: Carsten
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kempkensteffen
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hinz
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Christoph
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Krause
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Koellermann
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Magheli
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schrader
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schostak
authors.forename: Kurt
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Steffen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Weikert
mesh_terms: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / Q000235:genetics*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017209:Apoptosis; D001483:Base Sequence; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; C419866:BIRC7 protein, human; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins