Loss of beta-catenin is associated with poor survival in ovarian carcinomas

Ubiquitin B, Ubiquitin C, and β-Catenin as Promising Diagnostic and Prognostic Tools in Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer (PC) is a major global public health concern, imposing a significant burden on men and ranking as the second most prevalent malignancy. This study delves into the intricate world of ubiquitination processes and expression regulation, with a specific focus on understanding the roles of ubiquitin B (UBB), ubiquitin C (UBC), and β-Catenin in PC development. We thoroughly analyze the expression profiles of UBB, UBC, and β-Catenin, investigating their interactions and associations with clinical and histopathological data. These findings offer valuable insights into their potential as robust prognostic markers and their significance for patient survival. Our research uncovers the upregulation of UBB and UBC expression in PC tissues, and an even more pronounced expression in lymph node metastases, highlighting their pivotal roles in PC progression. Moreover, we identify a compelling correlation between high UBB and UBC levels and diminished overall survival in PC patients, emphasizing their clinical relevance. Additionally, we observe a significant reduction in membranous β-Catenin expression in PC tissues. Importantly, abnormal β-Catenin expression is strongly associated with shorter survival in PC patients and serves as a significant, independent prognostic factor for patient outcomes. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicates that patients with tumors characterized by simultaneous UBB and aberrant β-Catenin expression exhibit the poorest overall survival. These collective insights underline the clinical importance of evaluating UBB, UBC, and β-Catenin as combined prognostic markers in PC.

N-Myc Downstream Regulated Gene-1 May Play an Important Role in the Prognosis of Ovarian Cancer, in Its Association with Beta-Catenin

NDRG1 is a nickel- and calcium-inducible gene that plays important roles in the primary growth of malignant tumors, as well as in invasion and metastasis. This study investigated the associations of NDRG1 expression with cell adhesion and other clinicopathological factors in ovarian cancer. The clinical records of 123 women who underwent surgery for ovarian cancer in our institute were reviewed retrospectively. The expression of NDRG1, E-cadherin, and beta-catenin in surgical specimens were evaluated immunohistochemically. The NDRG1 expression level was significantly associated with beta-catenin expression, peritoneal metastasis outside the pelvic cavity, lymph node metastasis, and FIGO stages. The Kaplan-Meier analysis showed a significant association between the NDRG1 expression level and progression-free survival: high NDRG1 expression was related to poor survival. Our results suggest that the increased expression of NDRG1 is associated with cell adhesion and may be a poor prognostic indicator in women with ovarian cancer.

Prognostic significance of β-catenin expression in patients with ovarian cancer: A meta-analysis

AIM

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of β-catenin immunohistochemical expression on the prognostic of ovarian cancer (OC) for that β-catenin could be responsible for the development and progress of OC.

METHODS

We searched various databases to identify eligible studies, and Review Managers 5.2 software was fulfilled in the meta-analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 11 studies were defined and composed in 1858 cases. β-catenin expression was significantly correlated with poor overall survival (OS) in OC patients (HR: 2.48, 95% CI: 1.38-4.47, P = 0.003), and showed a significant degree of heterogeneity (I² = 83%, P < 0.00001). Subgroup analysis indicated that accumulation in the nucleus and/or cytoplasm, rather than membrane, considerably influences the survival of OC patients independently.

CONCLUSION

Nucleus and/or cytoplasma of β-catenin expression might be associated with tumor progression and could be a possible potential predictive factor of poor prognosis in OC patients.

Increased risk of poor survival in ovarian cancer patients with high expression of SNAI2 and lymphovascular space invasion

This study is aimed to conduct a meta-analysis to evaluate the prognostic value of lymphovascular space invasion(LVSI) and to explore the potential association of SNAI1 and SNAI2 with LVSI in ovarian cancer. A systematic literature search in PubMed, ISI Web of Science, and Medline was conducted to identify relevant studies assessing the prognostic value of LVSI in ovarian cancer. The main outcomes analyzed were progression free survival/disease free survival and overall survival. TCGA database was used to explore the potential link of SNAI1 and SNAI2 with LVSI status. A total of 11 eligible studies enrolling 1817 patients were included for the meta-analysis. The overall analysis indicated that LVSI presence was associated with shorter duration of survival in ovarian cancer patients. Multivariate analysis indicated that both advanced stage and SNAI2 expression were associated with increased risk of LVSI presence. Survival analysis indicated that tumors with LVSI presence and high SNAI2 expression were significantly correlated with poorer survival when compared to tumors with both LVSI absence and low SNAI2 expression. In conclusion, LVSI presence was associated with worse clinical outcomes in ovarian cancer. Increased expression of SNAI2 and advanced stage were independent risk factors for LVSI presence. Our findings also emphasizes the potential of SNAI2 in promoting lymphovascular spread of ovarian cancer.

The ARID1A, p53 and ß-Catenin statuses are strong prognosticators in clear cell and endometrioid carcinoma of the ovary and the endometrium

Aim

The objective of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of ARID1A, p53, p21, p16 and ß-Catenin in endometrioid and clear cell ovarian and endometrial carcinomas.

Materials and methods

97 tumors were available for analysis of ARID1A, p53, p21, p16 and ß-Catenin with the techniques of tissue microarray and immunohistochemistry. 32 were ovarian carcinomas and 65 were endometrial carcinomas.

Results

Endometrioid ovarian carcinomas showed negative staining for ARID1A (a) and p21 (b), aberrant expression of p53 (c) and p16 (d) and ß-Catenin positive nuclear expression (e) respectively in 19% (a), 100% (b), 28.6% (c), 52.4% (d) and 4.8% (e) of all cases. In the group of clear cell ovarian carcinomas it was 63.6% (a), 100% (b), 81.8% (c), 54.5% (d) and 0% (e). For endometrioid uterine carcinomas it was 75.7% (a), 94.9% (b), 30.5% (c), 52.1% (d) and 6.8% (e) and for clear cell uterine carcinomas it was 8.6% (a), 100% (b), 50% (c), 100% (d) and 0% (e). Survival analysis showed that negative expression of ARID1A, p53 aberrant expression and ß-Catenin nuclear positive staining are independent negative prognosticators in both, clear cell and endometrioid carcinoma, regardless of ovarian or uterine origin. Cox-Regression analysis showed them again as negative prognostic factors. Furthermore, we found a significant correlation between ARID1A and ß-Catenin expression in endometrioid uterine tumors.

Conclusion

The analyzed gynaecological carcinoma showed a distinct expression scheme of proteins that are associated with tumor suppression. We may conclude that ARID1A, p53 and ß-Catenin are the strongest prognostic factors by analyzing a subgroup of tumor suppressor genes in clear cell and endometrioid subtypes of ovarian and endometrial cancer and may be used along with traditional morphological and clinical characteristics for prognosis.

Genome-wide analysis of DNA Methylation profiles on sheep ovaries associated with prolificacy using whole-genome Bisulfite sequencing

Background

Ovulation rate and litter size are important reproductive traits in sheep with high economic value. Recent work has revealed a potential link between DNA methylation and prolificacy. However, a genome-wide study that sought to identify potential DNA methylation sites involved in sheep prolificacy indicated that it is still unknown. Here, we aimed to investigate the genome-wide DNA methylation profiles of Hu sheep ovaries by comparing a high-prolificacy group (HP, litter size of three for at least 2 consecutive lambings) and low prolificacy group (LP, litter size of one for at least 2 consecutive lambings) using deep whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS).

Results

First, our results demonstrated lower expression levels of DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) genes in the ovaries of the HP group than that in the ovaries of the LP group. Both groups showed similar proportions of methylation at CpG sites but different proportions at non-CpG sites. Subsequently, we identified 70,899 differential methylated regions (DMRs) of CG, 16 DMRs of CHG, 356 DMRs of CHH and 12,832 DMR-related genes(DMGs). Gene Ontology (GO) analyses revealed that some DMGs were involved in regulating female gonad development and ovarian follicle development. Finally, we found that 10 DMGs, including BMP7, BMPR1B, CTNNB1, FST, FSHR, LHCGR, TGFB2 and TGFB3, are more likely to be involved in prolificacy of Hu sheep, as assessed by correlation analysis and listed in detail.

Conclusions

This study revealed the global DNA methylation pattern of sheep ovaries associated with high and low prolificacy groups, which may contribute to a better understanding of the epigenetic regulation of sheep reproductive capacity.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-017-4068-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Alternatively spliced protein arginine methyltransferase 1 isoform PRMT1v2 promotes the survival and invasiveness of breast cancer cells

Protein arginine methylation is catalyzed by protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) and plays an important role in many cellular processes. Aberrant PRMT expression has been observed in several common cancer types; however, their precise contribution to the cell transformation process is not well understood. We previously reported that the PRMT1 gene generates several alternatively spliced isoforms, and our initial biochemical characterization of these isoforms revealed that they exhibit distinct substrate specificity and subcellular localization. We focus here on the PRMT1v2 isoform, which is the only predominantly cytoplasmic isoform, and we have found that its relative expression is increased in breast cancer cell lines and tumors. Specific depletion of PRMT1v2 using RNA interference caused a significant decrease in cancer cell survival due to an induction of apoptosis. Furthermore, depletion of PRMT1v2 in an aggressive cancer cell line significantly decreased cell invasion. We also demonstrate that PRMT1v2 overexpression in a non-aggressive cancer cell line was sufficient to render them more invasive. Importantly, this novel activity is specific to PRMT1v2, as overexpression of other isoforms did not enhance invasion. Moreover, this activity requires both proper subcellular localization and methylase activity. Lastly, PRMT1v2 overexpression altered cell morphology and reduced cell-cell adhesion, a phenomenon that we convincingly linked with reduced β-catenin protein expression. Overall, we demonstrate a specific role for PRMT1v2 in breast cancer cell survival and invasion, underscoring the importance of identifying and characterizing the distinct functional differences between PRMT1 isoforms.

Microarray-based oncogenic pathway profiling in advanced serous papillary ovarian carcinoma

INTRODUCTION

The identification of specific targets for treatment of ovarian cancer patients remains a challenge. The objective of this study is the analysis of oncogenic pathways in ovarian cancer and their relation with clinical outcome.

METHODOLOGY

A meta-analysis of 6 gene expression datasets was done for oncogenic pathway activation scores: AKT, β-Catenin, BRCA, E2F1, EGFR, ER, HER2, INFα, INFγ, MYC, p53, p63, PI3K, PR, RAS, SRC, STAT3, TNFα, and TGFβ and VEGF-A. Advanced serous papillary tumours from uniformly treated patients were selected (N = 464) to find differences independent from stage-, histology- and treatment biases. Survival and correlations with documented prognostic signatures (wound healing response signature WHR/genomic grade index GGI/invasiveness gene signature IGS) were analysed.

RESULTS

The GGI, WHR, IGS score were unexpectedly increased in chemosensitive versus chemoresistant patients. PR and RAS activation score were associated with survival outcome (p = 0.002;p = 0.004). Increased activations of β-Catenin (p = 0.0009), E2F1 (p = 0.005), PI3K (p = 0.003) and p63 (p = 0.05) were associated with more favourable clinical outcome and were consistently correlated with three prognostic gene signatures.

CONCLUSIONS

Oncogenic pathway profiling of advanced serous ovarian tumours revealed that increased β-Catenin, E2F1, p63, PI3K, PR and RAS-pathway activation scores were significantly associated with favourable clinical outcome. WHR, GGI and IGS scores were unexpectedly increased in chemosensitive tumours. Earlier studies have shown that WHR, GGI and IGS are strongly associated with proliferation and that high-proliferative ovarian tumours are more chemosensitive. These findings may indicate opposite confounding of prognostic versus predictive factors when studying biomarkers in epithelial ovarian cancer.

Predictive and prognostic protein biomarkers in epithelial ovarian cancer: recommendation for future studies

Epithelial ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecological malignancy. Due to its lack of symptoms, this disease is diagnosed at an advanced stage when the cancer has already spread to secondary sites. While initial rates of response to first treatment is >80%, the overall survival rate of patients is extremely low, mainly due to development of drug resistance. To date, there are no reliable clinical factors that can properly stratify patients for suitable chemotherapy strategies. Clinical parameters such as disease stage, tumor grade and residual disease, although helpful in the management of patients after their initial surgery to establish the first line of treatment, are not efficient enough. Accordingly, reliable markers that are independent and complementary to clinical parameters are needed for a better management of these patients. For several years, efforts to identify prognostic factors have focused on molecular markers, with a large number having been investigated. This review aims to present a summary of the recent advances in the identification of molecular biomarkers in ovarian cancer patient tissues, as well as an overview of the need and importance of molecular markers for personalized medicine in ovarian cancer.

Low membranous expression of beta-catenin and high mitotic count predict poor prognosis in endometrioid carcinoma of the ovary

Mutations in the beta-catenin gene are common in ovarian endometrioid carcinoma. Few studies have addressed the association of beta-catenin expression with tumor characteristics and patient outcome, yielding controversial results. The purpose of this study was to retrospectively assess the expression of beta-catenin in ovarian endometrioid carcinoma and correlate its expression with the Gynecologic Oncology Group's (GOG) grading system, clinicopathological characteristics, and patient survival. A total of 49 patients with primary ovarian endometrioid carcinoma were included in this study. A four-tier score grading system was used for the membranous staining (negative, weak, moderate, and strong) and the percentage of positive cells for the nuclear staining of beta-catenin. The status of five morphometric parameters, nuclear morphology (uniform or pleomorphic), mitotic count, glandular pattern, degree of squamous differentiation, and status of papillary pattern, was assessed. We found that a low membranous expression of beta-catenin and a high mitotic count (>15 per 10 high-power fields) were significantly associated with poor prognosis and early recurrence of ovarian endometrioid carcinoma. In addition, cases with nuclear expression of beta-catenin showed an intermediate overall survival risk and late disease recurrence. Young age at the time of diagnosis, advanced disease stage, and suboptimal debulking were among the clinical factors predicting poor survival and early disease recurrence. The presence of squamous differentiation, a papillary pattern or nuclear pleomorphism did not show any correlation with overall survival or disease-free survival. Low membranous expression of beta-catenin and high mitotic count are poor prognostic indicators in patients with ovarian endometrioid carcinoma, whereas the GOG grading system showed no prognostic value. Our data suggest that there is a need to define a better grading system for ovarian endometrioid carcinoma. Molecular markers such as beta-catenin and mitotic count could aid in defining this grading system.

Beta-catenin expression in uterine sarcomas and its relation to clinicopathological parameters

Aberrations in the Wnt/beta-catenin signalling pathway are suggested as mediators of chromosomal instability and carcinogenesis. beta-catenin acts both as a component of the membranous adhesion system, and as a transcription activator in the nucleus. beta-Catenin immunoreactivity was evaluated in 353 uterine sarcomas (US) including 231 leiomyosarcomas (LMS), 82 endometrial stromal sarcomas (ESS), 22 adenosarcomas (AS) and 18 undifferentiated uterine sarcomas (UUS). Up-regulated membranous beta-catenin was observed in 25% of the LMS (p=0.039), 21% of the ESS (p=0.072) and 39% of the UUS (p=0.025). Cytoplasmic beta-catenin was up-regulated in 36% of the LMS (p=0.008) and 33% of the UUS (p=0.028). Nuclear beta-catenin expression was observed in 23% of the LMS (p=0.051), 61% of ESS (p=0.628) and in the sarcoma component of 68% of the AS. In patients with LMS, membranous beta-catenin was associated with poor crude survival in univariate (p=0.045), but not in multivariate analyses. In patients with ESS, nuclear beta-catenin expression was related to spread of tumour (p=0.033), but not to survival. The observation of up-regulated beta-catenin expression in US might suggest a so far undocumented role for the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway in these malignancies.

Reduced expression of E-cadherin/catenin complex in hepatocellular carcinomas

AIM: To examine the immunoreactivity of E-cadherin and four subtypes of catenin family in human hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) and to investigate the correlation between expression of E-cadherin/catenin complex and clinicopathologic parameters of HCC patients.

METHODS: An immunohistochemical study for E-cadherin and catenins was performed on 97 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded specimens of HCC.

RESULTS: Reduced expression of E-cadherin, α-, β-, γ-catenin and p120 was observed in 69%, 76%, 63%, 71% and 73%, respectively. Both expressions of E-cadherin and catenin components were significantly correlated with tumor grade (P = 0.000). It showed significant difference between expression of catenin members and tumor stage (P = 0.003, P = 0.017, P = 0.007 and P = 0.000, respectively). The reduced expression of E-cadherin in HCCs was significantly correlated with intrahepatic metastasis (IM) and capsular invasion (P = 0.008, P = 0.03, respectively). A close correlation was also observed between the expression of catenins and the tumor size (P = 0.002, P = 0.034, P = 0.016 and P = 0.000, respectively). In addition, the expression of each catenin was found correlated with IM (P = 0.012, P = 0.049, P = 0.026 and P = 0.014, respectively). No statistically significant difference was observed between the expression level of E-cadherin/catenin complex and lymph node permission, vascular invasion and satellite nodules. Interestingly, only expression of p120 showed correlation with AFP value (P = 0.035). The expression of E-cadherin was consistent with α-, β-, γ-catenin and p120 expression (P = 0.000). Finally, the abnormal expression of E-cadherin/catenin complex was significantly associated with patients’ survival (P = 0.0253, P = 0.0052, P = 0.003, P = 0.0105 and P = 0.0016, respectively). Nevertheless, no component of E-cadherin/catenin complex was the independent prognostic factor of HCC patients.

CONCLUSION: Down-regulated expressions of E-cadherin, catenins and p120 occur frequently in HCCs and contribute to the progression and development of tumor. It may be more exact and valuable to detect the co-expression of E-cadherin/catenin complex than to explore one of them in predicting tumor invasion, metastasis and patient’s survival.

Wnt signaling in ovarian tumorigenesis

Data are emerging implicating Wnt signaling in ovarian tumorigenesis. We sought to review the current literature on the subject and discuss the pathway's potential role as a prognostic marker and therapeutic target. We conducted a systematic literature review of studies investigating the association between Wnt signaling and ovarian cancer. Search strategies included online searching of the MEDLINE database and hand searching of relevant publications and reviews. Additional reports were collected by systematically reviewing all references from retrieved papers. Twenty-nine papers were identified that directly investigate Wnt signaling and ovarian cancer. Mutations in the CTNNB1 gene that codes for beta-catenin, the key effector in the pathway, are directly linked to carcinogenic transformation but are mostly found in ovarian endometrioid adenocarcinomas, a histologic subtype of epithelial ovarian cancer. These mutations, along with others, lead to deregulation of the pathway and transcription of target genes. Differences in various intra- and extracellular components of the Wnt pathway have been demonstrated between normal ovarian and cancer cell lines and between benign tissue and ovarian cancer. These differences implicate Wnt signaling in the molecular events that lead to ovarian cancer development despite the fact that gene mutations are uncommon. The data suggest that Wnt signaling plays a role in ovarian tumorigenesis. The exact mechanisms by which this occurs need to be further elucidated. Wnt signaling is probably involved via multiple, diverse mechanisms. Further research in this area is warranted.

Antisense suppression of pygopus2 results in growth arrest of epithelial ovarian cancer

PURPOSE

The Pygopus proteins are critical elements of the canonical Wnt/beta-catenin transcriptional complex. In epithelial ovarian cancer, constitutively active Wnt signaling is restricted to one (endometrioid) tumor subtype. The purpose of this study was to determine the level of expression and growth requirements of human Pygopus2 (hPygo2) protein in epithelial ovarian cancer.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

Expression and subcellular localization of hPygo2 was determined in epithelial ovarian cancer cell lines and tumors using Northern blot, immunoblot, and immunofluorescence. Immunohistochemistry was done on 125 archived patient epithelial ovarian cancer tumors representing all epithelial ovarian cancer subtypes. T-cell factor-dependent transcription levels were determined in epithelial ovarian cancer cells using TOPflash/FOPflash in vivo assays. Phosphorothioated antisense oligonucleotides were transfected into cell lines and growth assayed by cell counting, anchorage-independent colony formation on soft agar, and xenografting into severe combined immunodeficient mice.

RESULTS

All six epithelial ovarian cancer cell lines and 82% of the patient samples overexpressed nuclear hPygo2 compared with control cells and benign disease. Depletion of hPygo2 by antisense oligonucleotides in both Wnt-active (TOV-112D) and Wnt-inactive serous (OVCAR-3, SKOV-3) and clear cell (TOV-21G) carcinoma cell lines halted growth, assessed using tissue culture, anchorage-independent, and xenograft assays.

CONCLUSIONS

hPygo2 is unexpectedly widely expressed in, and required in the absence of, Wnt signaling for malignant growth of epithelial ovarian cancer, the deadliest gynecologic malignancy. These findings strongly suggest that inhibition of hPygo2 may be of therapeutic benefit for treating this disease.

Prognostic significance of E-cadherin-catenin complex in epithelial ovarian cancer

OBJECTIVE

To clarify the prognostic role of E-cadherin and beta- and gamma-catenins, and their relation to CD44 in epithelial ovarian carcinoma.

METHODS

The expression of E-cadherin and beta- and gamma-catenins was analysed immunohistochemically in 305 primary epithelial ovarian cancers and 44 metastases, and related to CD44 expression, clinicopathological factors, and the patients' survival.

RESULTS

Reduced cell surface expression of E-cadherin, beta-catenin, and gamma-catenin was particularly frequent in serous and endometrioid histological types. Reduced cell surface expression of E-cadherin and beta-catenin was also associated with poor differentiation. Nuclear positivity of beta-catenin was associated with high CD44 expression, endometrioid histology, and local stage of the tumour, whereas nuclear gamma-catenin expression was associated with serous histology and poor differentiation. In the univariate analysis, preserved cell surface beta-catenin expression in the whole study material and nuclear expression of beta- and gamma-catenins in the subgroup of endometrioid ovarian cancers were predictors of better 10 year disease related survival. Preserved cell surface expression of E-cadherin and beta-catenin predicted favourable recurrence-free survival. These statistical significances were not retained in multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

The correlation between nuclear beta-catenin and CD44 indicates that beta-catenin may regulate the transcription of CD44 in epithelial ovarian cancer. E-cadherin-catenin complex members are associated with the prognosis of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer, but these univariate associations were not strong enough to compete for significance with the traditional clinicopathological factors.

E-Cadherin and beta-Catenin expression in early stage cervical carcinoma: a tissue microarray study of 147 cases

Background

The disruption of intercellular adhesions is an important component of the acquisition of invasive properties in epithelial malignancies. Alterations in the cell-cell adhesion complex, E-Cadherin/β-Catenin, have been implicated in the oncogenesis of carcinomas arising from various anatomic sites and have been correlated with adverse clinico-pathologic parameters. In this study, the authors investigated the immunohistochemical expression of E-Cadherin and β-Catenin in a cohort of early stage cervical cancers to determine its prognostic significance and to investigate differences between the three major histological subtypes.

Patients and methods

A tissue microarray of 147 cases of FIGO stage 1A and 1B cervical carcinomas [96 squamous cell carcinomas (SCC), 35 adenocarcinomas (AC), 12 adenosquamous carcinomas (ASQ), 4 miscellaneous types] was constructed from our archived surgical pathology files and stained with monoclonal antibodies to E-Cadherin and β-Catenin. Cases were scored by multiplying the intensity of staining (1 to 3 scale) by the percentage of cells stained (0–100%) for a potential maximum score of 300. For both markers, "preserved" expression was defined as bright membranous staining with a score of 200 or above. "Impaired" expression included any of the following: negative staining, a score less than 200, or exclusively cytoplasmic or nuclear delocalization.

Results

Impaired expression of β-Catenin was found in 85.7%, 66.7%, & 58.3% of AC, SCC & ASQ respectively. Impaired expression of E-Cadherin was found in 94.3%, 86.5% & 100% of cases of AC, SCC, & ASQ respectively. The differences between the histologic subtypes were not significant. For the whole cohort, a comparsion of cases showing impaired versus preserved of E-Cadherin and β-Catenin expression showed no significant differences with respect to recurrence free survival, overall survival, patient age, histologic grade, and frequency of lymphovascular invasion or lymph node involvement. There was no correlation between the status of both markers for all three histological subtypes (overall spearman correlation co-efficient r = 0.12, p = 0.14)

Conclusion

Impairment of E-Cadherin and β-Catenin expression is very frequent in early stage cervical cancers, and alterations in the E-Cadherin/β-Catenin cell adhesion complex are therefore likely involved in the pathogenesis of cervical carcinomas even at their earliest stages. None of the three major histological subtypes of cervical carcinoma (SCC, ADCA, ADSQ) is significantly more likely than the others to show impairment in E-Cadherin and β-Catenin expression. Overall, the expression of both markers does not significantly correlate with clinico-pathological parameters of prognostic significance.

β-catenin expression, DNA ploidy and clinicopathological features in ovarian cancer: A study in 253 patients

The CTNNB1 gene and its product beta-catenin, a regulator of the Wnt signalling pathway, is often mutated and deregulated in human malignancies. Down stream targets of the Wnt signalling pathway are linked to genomic instability. In this study, the impact of beta-catenin expression on genomic instability in ovarian carcinoma, as determined by DNA ploidy, was investigated. Expression of beta-catenin was examined by immunohistochemistry in 253 ovarian carcinomas. The results were related to genomic instability and clinicopathological features of the patients. Membrane associated staining of beta-catenin was detected in nearly all cases with no correlation to clinical parameters. Most of the samples also had cytoplasmic (84%), while only 13% had nuclear beta-catenin localisation. A significant association between beta-catenin expression (cytoplasmic and nuclear) and histological subtype and degree of differentiation was observed. Nuclear beta-catenin was almost exclusively present in endometroid carcinomas. 53% of all endometroid tumours were positive for nuclear beta-catenin expression (P<0.0001). Mucinous carcinomas had the highest degree of cytoplasmic beta-catenin expression (92%), followed by endometroid (92%), mixed (90%), serous (82%), unclassified adenocarcinomas (81%), carcinomas clear cell and (70%), (P=0.01). Tumours with differentiation grade 1 (16%) and 2 (24%) had higher nuclear beta-catenin expression than grade 3 and clear cell carcinomas (6%) (P=0.012). Better prognostic outcome was found for patients with nuclear beta-catenin localisation as compared to the cases without (P=0.027). In conclusion, the study showed no correlation between beta-catenin expression in ovarian carcinoma and FIGO stage and genomic instability as determined by DNA ploidy status. However, nuclear beta-catenin expression was strongly associated with endometroid histological subtype. Finally, in ovarian cancer, although beta-catenin staining seems to be of prognostic importance with respect to nuclear staining in univariate analysis, only DNA ploidy status, histological grade and FIGO staging were of independent prognostic significance in multivariate analysis.