title: Precise measurement of the E-cadherin repressor Snail in formalin-fixed endometrial carcinoma using protein lysate microarrays.
abstract: Over-expression of the zinc finger transcription factor Snail leads to down-regulation of the epithelial proteins E-cadherin and Cytokeratin 18 and to upregulation of the mesenchymal protein Vimentin. The aim of our study was to characterize for the first time Snail protein expression in formalin-fixed primary tumour tissues using protein lysate microarrays and correlate Snail with E-cadherin, Cytokeratin 18, and Vimentin protein abundances. In a first feasibility study, we examined 17 formalin-fixed endometrioid adenocarcinomas by protein lysate microarrays. Snail expression showed a statistical significant inverse correlation with the expression of E-cadherin (P<0.001). A trend for correlation between Snail and Cytokeratin 18 (P=0.043) and the tumour grade (P=0.074) was seen. For Snail and Vimentin no correlation was found (P=0.384). In conclusion, our results fit to the proposed function of Snail as a transcriptional repressor of E-cadherin and Cytokeratin 18 in primary human carcinomas and demonstrate the usefulness of protein lysate microarrays for the precise determination of proteins involved in epithelial-mesenchymal-transition.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, Technical University of Munich, Trogerstrasse 18, 81675 Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hipp
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Walch
authors.forename: Tibor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schuster
authors.forename: Heinz
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Höfler
authors.forename: Karl-Friedrich
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Becker
mesh_terms: D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005557:Formaldehyde; D006801:Humans; D053538:Keratin-18 / Q000378:metabolism; D040081:Protein Array Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D000071250:Snail Family Transcription Factors; D016707:Tissue Fixation; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D014746:Vimentin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; D053538:Keratin-18; D000071250:Snail Family Transcription Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014746:Vimentin; D005557:Formaldehyde