title: Expression pattern of claudins 1 and 3-an auxiliary tool in predicting behavior of mucoepidermoid carcinoma of salivary gland origin.
abstract: Claudins (CLDNs) are a family of membrane proteins important for permeability of tight junctions. They have also been implicated in carcinogenesis and tumor progression. We analyzed patterns of distribution and intensity of expression of CLDNs 1, 3, 4, and 7 in mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) of salivary gland in 39 patients. Correlations between the expression of CLDNs, tumor grade, and survival were explored. In immunohistochemical analysis, high expression of CLDN 1 was seen in low-grade MEC, and it appeared to be a suitable auxiliary marker of good prognosis. It classified MEC similarly to histological grading in 89.7% of cases (p = 0.001). High CLDN 3 expression was seen in intermediate- and high-grade MEC, while it was low in low-grade MEC. CLDN 3 intensity correctly categorized tumors into grades in 71.8% of cases (p = 0.017). However, in multivariate analysis CLDN 1 and CLDN 3 did not achieve significance over tumor grade in predicting patient behavior. We conclude that analysis of staining intensities of CLDN 1 and 3 is useful as an auxiliary diagnostic and prognostic tool in patients with salivary gland MEC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Katri
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aro
authors.forename: Luiz Eduardo Blumer
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Rosa
authors.forename: Ibrahim O
authors.initials: IO
authors.lastname: Bello
authors.forename: Ylermi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Soini
authors.forename: Antti A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Mäkitie
authors.forename: Tuula
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Salo
authors.forename: Ilmo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Leivo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D018277:Carcinoma, Mucoepidermoid / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality; D062445:Claudin-1; D062465:Claudin-3; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D019085:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Direct; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012468:Salivary Gland Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C568108:CLDN1 protein, human; C568122:CLDN3 protein, human; D062445:Claudin-1; D062465:Claudin-3; D008565:Membrane Proteins