title: Galectin-9 expression links to malignant potential of cervical squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Galectin-9 (Gal-9) induces adhesion and aggregation of certain cell types and can be a prognostic factor in the patients with melanoma and breast cancer. We assessed the experiments to resolve whether Gal-9 expression in cervical neoplasm links to malignant potential of cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  Gal-9 expression was examined with immunohistochemical techniques in 23 normal cervical squamous epithelia, 17 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), and 38 cervical SCC compared to E-cadherin. CIN was divided into low-grade and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (8 LSIL and 9 HSIL), and SCC was into well-, moderately and poorly differentiated SCC (6 WSCC, 20 MSCC and 12 PSCC).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Gal-9 and E-cadherin were evidently detected in normal epithelium and endocervical glands, but those in CIN and SCC were significantly faint. Moreover, both the Gal-9 and E-cadherin expressions in HSIL were significant lower than those in LSIL, suggesting their association with malignant transformation. Unexpectedly, Gal-9 and E-cadherin in WSCC were significantly high compared to those in HSIL. Furthermore, those in SCC were inversely correlated with the grade of differentiation (WSCC >> MSCC >> PSCC), implying the possible involvement of Gal-9 and E-cadherin in the differentiation of SCC. In contrast, they were not different among the FIGO stage. Gal-9 expression was well correlated with E-cadherin expression in CIN and SCC but not in normal cervical epithelia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present results suggest that decreased Gal-9 expression is inversely associated with malignant potential or differentiation of cervical CIN and SCC as a differentiation biomarker.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology and Immunopathology, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, Kagawa, 761-0793, Japan.
authors.forename: Meiyan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ueno
authors.forename: Souichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oomizu
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Arikawa
authors.forename: Rika
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shinonaga
authors.forename: Shulan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamauchi
authors.forename: Mitsuomi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hirashima
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D015820:Cadherins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D037161:Galectins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D015820:Cadherins; D037161:Galectins; C105032:LGALS9 protein, human