title: Decreased ezrin and paxillin expression in human urothelial bladder tumors correlate with tumor progression.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  F-actin binding proteins ezrin and paxillin are involved in cell adhesion and cell migration/invasion. The aim of the study was to investigate their role in urothelial bladder carcinogenesis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Expression of ezrin and paxillin was studied by immunohistochemistry in 104 and 96 cases of urothelial bladder tumors, respectively. Correlations with clinicopathologic data and expression of p53, E-cadherin, and β-catenin were examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Positive ezrin and paxillin protein expression was found in 99% and 93.7% of cases, respectively. Membranous expression of ezrin was significantly lower in high grade tumors and correlated with invasion. Multivariate analysis showed that ezrin is an independent predictor of muscularis propria invasion. Paxillin expression was significantly decreased in urothelial carcinomas compared with tumors of low malignant potential and low paxillin levels also correlated with advancing tumor stage and invasion. A statistically significant correlation was found between membranous ezrin and E-cadherin as well as between ezrin and paxillin expression in urothelial tumors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Down-regulation of ezrin and paxillin in urothelial bladder tumors is associated with aggressive tumor features and invasiveness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy-Histology-Embryology, School of Medicine, University of Patras, Patras, Greece.
authors.forename: Afrodite
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Athanasopoulou
authors.forename: Panagiotis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Aroukatos
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nakas
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Repanti
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Papadaki
authors.forename: Vasiliki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bravou
mesh_terms: D015703:Antigens, CD; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D018450:Disease Progression; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D051419:Paxillin / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000378:metabolism; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D019459:Urothelium / Q000378:metabolism*; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000378:metabolism; D000099149:Ezrin
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D015820:Cadherins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D051419:Paxillin; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D051176:beta Catenin; D000099149:Ezrin; C513384:CDH1 protein, human; C495270:CTNNB1 protein, human; C496061:PXN protein, human; C495901:TP53 protein, human