Altered expression and localization of desmoglein 3 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Desmoglein 3 (DSG3), a transmembrane cadherin of the desmosomal cell–cell adhesion structure, plays vital roles in the maintenance of normal epithelial tissue architecture. Reports implicating a role for DSG3 expression in cancer are few and contradictory. In this study, immunohistochemical staining...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Acta histochemica 2014-06, Vol.116 (5), p.803-809
Main Authors: Fang, Wang-Kai, Chen, Bo, Xu, Xiu-E, Liao, Lian-Di, Wu, Zhi-Yong, Wu, Jian-Yi, Shen, Jian, Xu, Li-Yan, Li, En-Min
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - metabolism
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - physiopathology
Desmoglein 3
Desmoglein 3 - genetics
Desmoglein 3 - metabolism
Esophageal Neoplasms - metabolism
Esophageal Neoplasms - physiopathology
Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Female
Gene Expression Profiling
Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
Humans
Immunohistochemistry
Male
Middle Aged
Neoplasm Staging
Prognosis
Tissue Array Analysis
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Summary:Desmoglein 3 (DSG3), a transmembrane cadherin of the desmosomal cell–cell adhesion structure, plays vital roles in the maintenance of normal epithelial tissue architecture. Reports implicating a role for DSG3 expression in cancer are few and contradictory. In this study, immunohistochemical staining was employed to investigate DSG3 expression and subcellular localization in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), and to correlate changes with clinical characteristics. Results indicate that in normal squamous cell epithelia, strong DSG3 immunoreactivity was observed in the Stratum spinosum, and localization occurred only at the cell membrane. In ESCC, DSG3 immunoreactivity displayed an abnormal cytoplasmic localization that was correlated with cell differentiation (P=0.018). Most strikingly, in 74.1% of the tumors, DSG3 expression was up-regulated and correlated with regional lymph node metastasis (P=0.036). Moreover, in patients without lymph node metastasis, cytoplasmic localization of DSG3 correlated with poor prognosis (P=0.044). These results suggest that DSG3 is involved in the development of ESCC and imply that DSG3 overexpression is likely to be an essential contributor to the aggressive features of esophageal cancer.
ISSN:0065-1281
1618-0372
DOI:10.1016/j.acthis.2014.01.010