title: Expression levels of autophagy related proteins and their prognostic significance in retinocytoma and retinoblastoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To discuss the prognostic significant of autophagy related proteins (ARPs) in retinoblastoma (RB) and to find the molecular marker to distinguish retinocytoma (RC) and RB by investigating the different expression profiling of microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3B) and other ARPs in RC and RB.
  
  
  METHODS
  Specimens with retinocytoma region (RCR) or mainly composed with Flexner-Winterstein rosettes (FWR) were screen out from 219 paraffin-embedded RB samples and respectively taken as RCR group and FWR group. Others were taken as undifferentiated (UD) group. Immunochemistry (IHC) of LC3B and electronic microscopy was used to identify autophagy. The IHC scores of LC3B and other ARPs, such as Beclin, PTEN, p27, p16(INK4a), mTOR and BCL-2 were compared and correlation analysis was applied to find potential proteins which may involve in autophagy regulation. The prognostics significance of LC3B was evaluated by comparing the high risk features (HRFs) in 3 groups of total 219 samples.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-one specimens with RCR and 36 specimens mainly composed with FWR were screen out. RCR cell had a high level of LC3B and lots of autophagic vacuoles. Beclin, PTEN, p27 had positive correlation with LC3, and p16(INK4a) had negative correlation, while the expression of mTOR and BCL-2 in RCR and RB region did not show any difference. Cases with RCR had lower rate of HRFs than undifferentiated cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ARPs had different expression pattern between RCR and other pathological types of RB, and could be ideal markers to distinguish RC from RB. Our finding indicated cases with RCR had favorable prognosis just like those with FWR.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510060, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510060, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Shang-Tao
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510060, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510060, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Wen-Xin
authors.initials: WX
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510060, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Jian-Ling
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510060, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Jian-Xian
authors.initials: JX
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510060, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Yong-Ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Li
keywords: LC3B; autophagy related protein; prognosis; retinoblastoma; retinocytoma