Expression of livin in renal cell carcinoma and detection of anti-livin autoantibody in patients.
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.
Kitamura
Hiroshi
H
Department of Urology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan. hkitamu@sapmed.ac.jp
Honma
Ichiya
I
Torigoe
Toshihiko
T
Hariu
Hiroyuki
H
Asanuma
Hiroko
H
Hirohashi
Yoshihiko
Y
Sato
Eiji
E
Sato
Noriyuki
N
Tsukamoto
Taiji
T
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
D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D001323:Autoantibodies; C419866:BIRC7 protein, human; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins