Activating transcription factor 3 is not up-regulated in hypospadias patients in Japan.
BACKGROUND
The aetiology of hypospadias is largely uncharacterized. Some of the researchers have advocated that activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3), an oestrogen-responsive transcription factor, is up-regulated in patients with hypospadias. The purpose is to evaluate the universality of this fact; we studied the expression of ATF3 protein in prepuce tissue obtained from hypospadias and phimosis patients living in metropolitan Tokyo.


METHODS
Prepuce tissue was obtained from outer foreskin at the time of surgery, quickly prepared for paraffin-embedded sectioning and stained immunohistochemically for ATF3. Two researchers blindly evaluated immunoreactivity and scored it semi-quantitatively as nil = 0, weak = 1, or strong = 2, to give a final staining intensity score (SIS). Subjects were 18 hypospadias patients and 17 phimosis patients (as controls) who had surgery between January, 2009 and March, 2010.


RESULTS
All subjects lived in metropolitan Tokyo, Japan. Mean ages at surgery were 2.9 ± 1.0 and 3.9 ± 2.4 years, respectively (P > 0.05). SIS was not statistically different between hypospadias patients (1.4 ± 0.5) and controls (1.5 ± 0.5), (P > 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Our data suggest that ATF3 is not highly associated with hypospadias in metropolitan Tokyo. Differences in ethnicity might have influenced our results.
Department of Pediatric General and Urogenital Surgery, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Toshiaki
T
Takahashi
Akihiro
A
Shimotakahara
Katsumi
K
Miyahara
Geoffrey J
GJ
Lane
Atsuyuki
A
Yamataka
D002675:Child, Preschool; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007021:Hypospadias / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D015994:Incidence; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D058127:Transcription Factor 3 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D015854:Up-Regulation
D058127:Transcription Factor 3; D004247:DNA