Glucose transporter Glut-1 is detectable in peri-necrotic regions in many human tumor types but not normal tissues: Study using tissue microarrays.

Abstract

The hypoxic tumor microenvironment is associated with malignant progression and poor treatment response. The glucose transporter Glut-1 is a prognostic factor and putative hypoxia marker. So far, studies of Glut-1 in cancer have utilized conventional immunohistochemical analysis in a series of individual biopsy or surgical specimens. Tissue microarrays, however, provide a rapid, inexpensive means of profiling biomarker expression. To evaluate hypoxia markers, tissue cores must show the architectural features of hypoxia; i.e. viable tissue surrounding necrotic regions. Glut-1 may be a useful biomarker to validate tissue microarrays for use in studies of hypoxia-regulated genes in cancer. In this study, we carried out immunohistochemical detection of Glut-1 protein in many tumor and normal tissue types in a range of tissue microarrays. Glut-1 was frequently found in peri-necrotic regions, occurring in 9/34 lymphomas, 6/12 melanomas, and 5/16 glioblastomas; and in 43/54 lung, 22/84 colon, and 23/60 ovarian tumors. Expression was rare in breast (6/40) and prostate (1/57) tumors, and in normal tissue, was restricted to spleen, tongue, and CNS endothelium. In conclusion, tissue microarrays enable the observation of Glut-1 expression in peri-necrotic regions, which may be linked to hypoxia, and reflect previous studies showing differential Glut-1 expression across tumor types and non-malignant tissue.

• Authors: Rachel Airley, Andrew Evans, Ali Mobasheri, Stephen M Hewitt
• Journal: Annals of anatomy = Anatomischer Anzeiger : official organ of the Anatomische Gesellschaft (Ann Anat) Vol. 192 Issue 3 Pg. 133-8 (May 20 2010) ISSN: 1618-0402 [Electronic] Germany
• PMID: 20395120 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright 2010 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Biomarkers
• Glucose Transporter Type 1

Topics

• Biomarkers (metabolism)
• Breast Neoplasms (genetics, metabolism)
• Colonic Neoplasms (genetics, metabolism)
• Disease Progression
• Female
• Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
• Glucose Transporter Type 1 (genetics, metabolism)
• Humans
• Hypoxia (metabolism)
• Immunohistochemistry
• Lung Neoplasms (genetics, metabolism)
• Necrosis
• Neoplasms (genetics, metabolism, pathology)
• Organ Specificity
• Ovarian Neoplasms (genetics, metabolism)
• Prognosis
• Protein Array Analysis
• Reference Values