Aberrant expression and distribution of the OCT-4 transcription factor in seminomas.
Testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs), comprised of seminomas and non-seminomas, are derived from premalignant and noninvasive intracellular germ cell neoplasias. Among TGCTs, seminomas are believed to resemble a transformed state of primordial germ cells (PGCs) and are known to exhibit a gene expression profile similar to that of embryonic stem (ES) cells, such as transcription factor OCT-4. OCT-4 has recently been recognized as a diagnostic marker for clinical aspects of seminomas. However, the role of the OCT-4 protein in seminomas has not been clarified. To determine a possible role of the OCT-4 protein in seminomas, in this paper, we studied a series of 41 testicular tumor tissues and four cell lines by immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, and reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to examine the expression and distribution of the OCT-4 transcription factor in seminomas. By utilizing immunohistochemical staining and Western blotting, we demonstrated that the OCT-4 transcription factor was aberrantly localized in the cytoplasm and nuclei of cells in the collected seminoma tissues. This observation was further confirmed using immunocytochemical staining of NCCIT (seminoma-embryonal carcinoma) and NT2 (embryonal carcinoma) cells. In addition, the RT-PCR results indicated that Oct-4 mRNA was relatively highly expressed in NCCIT, NT2 cells, and seminoma tissues when compared with human embryonic stem cells. The aberrant expression and distribution of the OCT-4 transcription factor in seminomas may provide some important clues concerning the cell transformation between germ line stem cells (like PGC) and testicular germ cell tumors.
Department of Pathology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Chien-Jui
CJ
Cheng
Yu-Chih
YC
Wu
Jye-An
JA
Shu
Thai-Yen
TY
Ling
Hung-Chih
HC
Kuo
Jui-Yu
JY
Wu
E E
EE
Chang
Shyh-Chern
SC
Chang
Yen-Hua
YH
Huang
D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3 / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018239:Seminoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3; D012333:RNA, Messenger