title: Expression of Plakophilins (PKP1, PKP2, and PKP3) in breast cancers.
abstract: Plakophilins (PKP) are desmosomal plague proteins, which belong to the p120ctn subfamily of armadillo repeat containing proteins. We aimed to analyze the role of plakophilins in breast cancer and its clinical progress. We have performed immunohistochemical study of the PKP1,2,3 in breast carcinoma. The study included 108 patients with breast cancer and 26 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. We investigated the associations between staining intensity and some clinicopathologic features like tumor size, axillary node status, stage, lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion, grade, hormone receptor status, and c-erb B2. The mean age of patients was 46 years (22-78). In breast cancer, compared with normal tissue, PKP1 and PKP2 expressions were indifferent (P > 0.05), but PKP3 expression was significantly increased in breast cancer (P = 0.0014). Although PKP1 and PKP2 expression levels were not correlated with clinicopathological parameters, increased PKP3 expression was positively correlated with node positivity and grade (P = 0.000, P = 0.000).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overexpressed PKP3 is likely to be an essential contributor to a growth-promoting pathway and to aggressive features of breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Kurupelit, Samsun 55139, Turkey. ggonullu@omu.edu.tr
authors.forename: Guzin Gonullu
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Demirag
authors.forename: Yurdanur
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sullu
authors.forename: Idris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Yucel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D051191:Plakophilins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C495335:PKP1 protein, human; C495337:PKP2 protein, human; C495339:PKP3 protein, human; D051191:Plakophilins