Versican overexpression in cutaneous malignant melanoma.
OBJECTIVE
Tumor growth regulation by extracellular matrix components has been one of the main topics on tumor biology in the last years. We aimed to investigate the protein expression pattern of decorin and versican in superficial spreading melanoma (SSM) and its precursors.


METHODS
Paraffin-embedded sections of benign nevi (BN), dysplastic nevi (DN), and primary SSM were assessed. Immunohistochemistry was performed for decorin and versican antibodies.


RESULTS
We investigated 64 patients with BN (n = 29), DN (n = 15), and SSM (n = 20) with a median Breslow thickness of 0.8 mm (0.2 - 4.6 mm). We did not observe decorin or versican immunoreactivity in melanocytes but in peritumoral stroma. Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA did not reveal significant differences of decorin expression between the groups investigated (P = 0.19). However, compared to BN and DN median expression of versican was significantly increased in SSM (P = 0.016 and P = 0.019, respectively). Decorin as well versican expression of SSM did not significantly correlate with Breslow tumor thickness or Clark level.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data indicate that decorin is not differentially expressed in peritumoral stroma of SSM, DN, BN, and thus unlikely of pathogenetic significance in melanoma transformation and/or progression. By contrast, we have demonstrated that SSM is associated with a significant overexpression of peritumoral versican suggesting a role for versican in the pathogenesis of melanoma.
Gambichler
Thilo
T
Department of Dermatology and Allergology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Gudrunstr. 56, 44791 Bochum, Germany. t.gambichler@klinikum-bochum.de
Kreuter
A
A
Grothe
S
S
Altmeyer
P
P
Brockmeyer
N H
NH
Rotterdam
S
S
D000328:Adult; D058575:Decorin; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008545:Melanoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009508:Nevus, Pigmented / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D016612:Paraffin Embedding; D011509:Proteoglycans / Q000378:metabolism; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D053675:Versicans / Q000378:metabolism*
C546878:DCN protein, human; D058575:Decorin; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins; D011509:Proteoglycans; C508322:VCAN protein, human; D053675:Versicans