title: Expression of livin in renal cell carcinoma and detection of anti-livin autoantibody in patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the expression of livin, a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein family, in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and to determine its prognostic relevance.
  
  
  METHODS
  Immunohistochemical staining for livin was performed using paraffin-embedded tissues from 45 cases of RCC. Then we assessed anti-livin antibodies (Abs) in patient sera by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blotting. Disease-specific survival of patients was assessed, and differences between the immunohistologically livin-positive and livin-negative groups and between the anti-livin Ab-positive and anti-livin Ab-negative groups were compared with recurrence-free survival using the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 45 RCC specimens, 26 (57.8%) showed positive staining of livin immunohistochemically. In the RCC patients, anti-livin antibodies were detected and their levels were significantly higher than those in healthy volunteers. However, there was no difference in disease-specific survival between the livin-positive and livin-negative patients or between the anti-livin-positive and anti-livin-negative patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although livin expression may not provide predictive information, it may be recognized as a tumor antigen by the immune system in RCC patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan. hkitamu@sapmed.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kitamura
authors.forename: Ichiya
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Honma
authors.forename: Toshihiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Torigoe
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hariu
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Asanuma
authors.forename: Yoshihiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hirohashi
authors.forename: Eiji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Noriyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Taiji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsukamoto
mesh_terms: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000276:immunology*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000276:immunology*; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000276:immunology*; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D001323:Autoantibodies; C419866:BIRC7 protein, human; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins