title: HuR in pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas - overexpression in verified malignant tumors.
abstract: Pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas are rare, neural crest-originating, neuroendocrine tumors. HuR is an mRNA-binding protein of the ELAV/Hu-protein family, which participates in posttranscriptional regulation of many cancer-associated genes. HuR expression has been connected with aggressive behavior of several malignancies. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is also expressed in several malignant tumors, and its expression is regulated by HuR. Tissue microarray of 153 primary pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas was investigated for the expression of HuR and COX-2 proteins by immunohistochemistry using two different HuR antibodies (HuR19F12 and HuR3A). In these tumors, the expression of both intranuclear and cytoplasmic HuR was detectable. Increased cytoplasmic HuR expression was significantly associated with metastatic tumors. Increased COX-2 and MIB-1 expression also was associated with metastatic potential, and moreover, HuR and COX-2 expression correlated with each other. Our data suggest that increased expression of HuR protein is associated with metastatic potential of paragangliomas and pheochromocytomas, and COX-2 seems to be a target of HuR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Leijon
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Kaisa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Salmenkivi
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Ilkka
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Heiskanen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.|Department of Oral Pathology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Jaana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hagström
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Johanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Louhimo
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Päivi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Heikkilä
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.|Genome-Scale Biology, Research Programs Unit, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Ari
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ristimäki
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Fimlab Laboratories, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland.|School of Medicine, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Timo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Paavonen
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland.|Department of Internal Medicine, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Saara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Metso
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mäenpää
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.|Translational Cancer Biology, Research Programs Unit, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Caj
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Haglund
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Johanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Arola
mesh_terms: D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000737:chemistry; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 / Q000032:analysis*; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000737:chemistry; D000067780:ELAV-Like Protein 1 / Q000032:analysis*; D015870:Gene Expression; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D046228:Microarray Analysis; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000473:pathology*; D010235:Paraganglioma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000556:secondary; D010673:Pheochromocytoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000556:secondary
chemical_list: D000067780:ELAV-Like Protein 1; C098770:ELAVL1 protein, human; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; C496540:PTGS2 protein, human
keywords: HuR; Immunohistochemistry; metastasis; paraganglioma; pheochromocytoma