title: HLA-G and its relation to proliferation index in detection and monitoring breast cancer patients.
abstract: Recent studies indicate an ectopic upregulation of the human leukocyte antigen G (HLA-G) in tumor cells that may favor their escape from antitumor immune responses. The role of HLA-G in breast cancer has not been defined. Other studies showed that HLA-G transcription may be silenced by epigenetic mechanisms or activated by stress. This work aimed to clarify the expression of HLA-G protein, estimate the possible prognostic role of HLA-G expression and identify if this expression is linked to the DNA index (DI) and S phase fraction (SPF) in breast cancer. HLA-G protein expression and the DNA parameters were studied by flow cytometry and serum secreted HLA-G (sHLA-G) levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 45 breast cancer patients and 40 female blood donors as healthy donors. Surface HLA-G was expressed on 40% and the cytoplasmic pattern with no membrane association in 24.4% of the malignant specimens. There was an increased serum sHLA-G level in patients as compared with controls. There were negative correlations between cytoplasmic HLA-G and both DI and SPF and between preoperative sHLA-G and SPF with no relations with patients' clinical outcome. We cannot establish that HLA-G protein can be a useful prognostic marker, but sHLA-G may be used as a tumor marker in breast cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Pathology Department, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt. Douaa_sayed@hotmail.com
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sayed
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Badr
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Maximous
authors.forename: N N H
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Mikhail
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Abu-Tarboush
authors.forename: I M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Alhazza
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D059951:HLA-G Antigens; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D011003:Ploidies; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D006680:HLA Antigens; D059951:HLA-G Antigens; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I