title: Expression of LGR8 and related biomarkers in hepatocellular carcinoma: correlation with clinicopathological parameters.
abstract: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between expression of LGR8, VEGF, MMP-2, MMP-9, fascin-1 and cortactin with clinicopathological parameters in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The six biomarkers were investigated immunohistochemically using tissue microarrays of 93 HCC specimens. The tumor cells showed significant expression of LGR8, VEGF, MMP-9, fascin-1 and cortactin, but not of MMP-2. In addition, higher immunostaining scores for LGR8 in HCC showed negative correlation with T and AJCC clinical stages and upregulation of MMP-9, but no correlation with poorer survival rate; cortactin expression is correlated with poorer tumor differentiation in HCC. Thus, our data suggest that higher expression of LGR8 may facilitate tumor invasiveness in the early clinical stage of hepatocellular carcinoma, and synergic effects of cortactin also play a crucial role in the intrahepatic metastasis. Although tumor biological evidence implicates the relaxin-like hormone family as endocrine mediators of critical cellular action in cancer, characterization of target molecules and signaling pathways specific for LGR8 in defined tumor entities and crosstalk of the relaxin receptors with other receptor systems relevant to carcinogenesis will be of significant clinical relevance and may contribute to novel therapeutic strategies against hepatocellular carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chih-Kung
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Jong-Shiaw
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Cheng-Ping
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Wen-Chiuan
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Tsai
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D051356:Cortactin / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D008840:Microfilament Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016612:Paraffin Embedding; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D015996:Survival Rate; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D051356:Cortactin; C502658:FSCN1 protein, human; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; C472867:RXFP2 protein, human; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9