Altered localization of p120 catenin in the cytoplasm rather than the membrane correlates with poor prognosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

P120 catenin (p120ctn), a regulator of cell adhesion, has previously been found in many malignancies, and suggested a role in invasion, metastasis and survival. The aim of this study was to investigate correlations between altered localization of p120ctn and clinical-pathological characteristics in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

METHODS:

Immunohistochemical staining for p120ctn was performed on tissue samples from 118 patients with ESCC. The expression of p120ctn was scored for intensity and cellular localization by Image-pro Plus 6.0. Correlations between immunohistochemical staining of p120ctn and pathological characteristics and clinical prognosis were determined using SPSS 18.0 software.

RESULTS:

Membrane expression of p120ctn in ESCCs was lower than that in adjacentnormal esophageal epithelial tissues (P = 0.041), while overall cellular expression of p120ctn was not different between the two tissue types (P = 0.787). Furthermore, neither overall cellular expression nor localized membrane expression was associated with histological and clinical variables. The high ratio of membrane expression to overall cellular expression (M/C) of p120ctn was inversely associated with lymph node invasion (P = 0.001), tumor differentiation (P = 0.012) and advanced tumor stage (P = 0.005); however, it was poorly associated with T stage (P = 0.274). The high M/C ratio of p120ctn was inversely correlated with poor survival; the 5-year OS (overall survival) and the 5-year DFS (disease free survival) for the high M/C ratio group were significantly higher than those of the low M/C ratio group (41.0% vs. 6.7%, P = 0.000; 44.1% vs. 24.9%, P = 0.007). Both the M/C ratio of p120ctn and N status were independent variables for the prediction of overall survival (P = 0.007 and P = 0.027). The M/C of p120ctn predicted a 0.49-fold risk of ESCC death (p = 0.007, 95% CI 0.29-0.83).

CONCLUSIONS:

The reduced M/C ratio of p120ctn acted as an independent prognostic factor for ESCC patient survival and for the migration and invasive behavior of the disease.

• Authors: Tian Chen, Chen Wang, Fang Wu, Xuebang Zhang, Han Yang, Xia Deng, Qiancheng He, Wenfeng Li, Gang Li
• Journal: PloS one (PLoS One) Vol. 10 Issue 3 Pg. e0118645 ( 2015) ISSN: 1932-6203 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 25785604 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Catenins
• Delta Catenin
• CTNND1 protein, human

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Carcinoma, Squamous Cell (diagnosis, metabolism)
• Catenins (metabolism)
• Cell Membrane (metabolism)
• Cytoplasm (metabolism)
• Esophageal Neoplasms (diagnosis, metabolism)
• Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
• Esophagus (metabolism, pathology)
• Female
• Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Prognosis
• Protein Transport
• Survival Analysis
• Delta Catenin