1
|
Gundlach JP, Hauser C, Schlegel FM, Willms A, Halske C, Röder C, Krüger S, Röcken C, Becker T, Kalthoff H, Trauzold A. Prognostic significance of high mobility group A2 (HMGA2) in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: malignant functions of cytoplasmic HMGA2 expression. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2021; 147:3313-3324. [PMID: 34302528 PMCID: PMC8484217 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-021-03745-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE HMGA2 has frequently been found in benign as well as malignant tumors and a significant association between HMGA2 overexpression and poor survival in different malignancies was described. In pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), nuclear HMGA2 expression is associated with tumor dedifferentiation and presence of lymph node metastasis. Nevertheless, the impact of HMGA2 occurrence in other cell compartments is unknown. METHODS Intracellular distribution of HMGA2 was analyzed in PDAC (n = 106) and peritumoral, non-malignant ducts (n = 28) by immunohistochemistry. Findings were correlated with clinico-pathological data. Additionally, intracellular HMGA2 presence was studied by Western blotting of cytoplasmic and nuclear fractions of cultured cells. RESULTS HMGA2 was found in the cytoplasm and in the nucleus of cultured cells. In human tumor tissue, HMGA2 was also frequently found in the cytoplasm and the nucleus of tumor cells, however, nuclear staining was generally stronger. Direct comparison from tumor tissue with corresponding non-neoplastic peritumoral tissue revealed significantly stronger expression in tumors (p = 0.003). Of note, the nuclear staining was significantly stronger in lymph node metastatic cell nuclei compared to primary tumor cell nuclei (p = 0.049). Interestingly, cytoplasmic staining positively correlated with lymph vessel (p = 0.004) and venous invasion (p = 0.046). CONCLUSION HMGA2 is a prognostic marker in PDAC. Firstly, we found a positive correlation for cytoplasmic HMGA2 expression with lympho-vascular invasion and, secondly, we found a significantly stronger nuclear expression of HMGA2 in cancer-positive lymph node nuclei compared to primary tumor cell nuclei. So far, the role of cytoplasmic HMGA2 is nearly unknown, however, our data lend support to the hypothesis that cytoplasmic HMGA2 expression is involved in nodal spread.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jan-Paul Gundlach
- Department of General Surgery, Visceral-, Thoracic-, Transplantation- and Pediatric-Surgery, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH), Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3, Building C, 24105, Kiel, Germany.,Institute for Experimental Cancer Research, University of Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3, Building U30, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Charlotte Hauser
- Department of General Surgery, Visceral-, Thoracic-, Transplantation- and Pediatric-Surgery, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH), Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3, Building C, 24105, Kiel, Germany.,Institute for Experimental Cancer Research, University of Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3, Building U30, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Franka Maria Schlegel
- Institute for Experimental Cancer Research, University of Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3, Building U30, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Anna Willms
- Institute for Experimental Cancer Research, University of Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3, Building U30, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Christine Halske
- Department of Pathology, UKSH, Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3, Building U33, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Christian Röder
- Institute for Experimental Cancer Research, University of Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3, Building U30, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Sandra Krüger
- Department of Pathology, UKSH, Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3, Building U33, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Christoph Röcken
- Department of Pathology, UKSH, Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3, Building U33, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Thomas Becker
- Department of General Surgery, Visceral-, Thoracic-, Transplantation- and Pediatric-Surgery, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH), Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3, Building C, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Holger Kalthoff
- Institute for Experimental Cancer Research, University of Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3, Building U30, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Anna Trauzold
- Department of General Surgery, Visceral-, Thoracic-, Transplantation- and Pediatric-Surgery, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH), Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3, Building C, 24105, Kiel, Germany. .,Institute for Experimental Cancer Research, University of Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3, Building U30, 24105, Kiel, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Gundlach JP, Hauser C, Schlegel FM, Böger C, Röder C, Röcken C, Becker T, Egberts JH, Kalthoff H, Trauzold A. Cytoplasmic TRAIL-R1 is a positive prognostic marker in PDAC. BMC Cancer 2018; 18:777. [PMID: 30064384 PMCID: PMC6069838 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-018-4688-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2018] [Accepted: 07/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The death receptors TRAIL-R1 and TRAIL-R2 are frequently overexpressed in cancer and there is an emerging evidence for their important role in malignant progression, also in the case of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). In their canonical localization at the plasma membrane, TRAIL-R1/−R2 may induce cell death and/or pro-inflammatory signaling leading to cell migration, invasion and metastasis. Although, they have repeatedly been found intracellular, in the cytoplasm and in the nucleus, their functions in intracellular locations are still not well understood. Likewise, studies dealing with the prognostic relevance of TRAIL-Rs located in particular cellular compartments are very rare. For PDAC, the correlation of nuclear TRAIL-R2 with worse patients’ prognosis has been shown recently. Corresponding data on TRAIL-R1 are not available so far. Methods In the present study we analyzed the expression of TRAIL-R1 in 106 PDACs and 28 adjacent, peritumoral non-malignant pancreatic ducts with special emphasis on its cytoplasmic and nuclear localization and correlated the immunohistochemical findings with clinico-pathological patient characteristics. Results TRAIL-R1 was found in 93.4% of all PDAC samples. Cytoplasmic staining was present with very similar intensity in tumor and normal tissue. In contrast, nuclear TRAIL-R1 staining was significantly stronger in tumor compared to normal tissue (p = 0.006). Interestingly, we found that the number of cells with cytoplasmic TRAIL-R1 staining negatively correlates with tumor grading (p = 0.043). No such correlation could be detected for nuclear TRAIL-R1. Neither, cytoplasmic nor nuclear TRAIL-R1 staining showed a correlation with other clinico-pathological parameter such as pTNM categories. However, Kaplan-Meier analyses revealed significantly prolonged median survival of patients with positive cytoplasmic TRAIL-R1 expression in more than 80% of tumor cells compared to patients with tumors containing a smaller quantity of cells positively stained for cytoplasmic TRAIL-R1 (20 vs. 8 months; p = 0.004). Conclusion Cytoplasmic TRAIL-R1 is a positive prognostic marker for patients with PDAC. Our findings indicate that loss of cytoplasmic TRAIL-R1 results in recurrent disease with more malignant phenotype thus suggesting anti-tumor activities of cytoplasmic TRAIL-R1 in PDAC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jan-Paul Gundlach
- Department of General Surgery, Visceral, Thoracic, Transplantation and Pediatric Surgery, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH), Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller Str. 3, Haus 18, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Charlotte Hauser
- Department of General Surgery, Visceral, Thoracic, Transplantation and Pediatric Surgery, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH), Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller Str. 3, Haus 18, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Franka Maria Schlegel
- Institute for Experimental Cancer Research, University of Kiel, Arnold-Heller Str. 3 (Haus 17), D-24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Christine Böger
- Department of Pathology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH), Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller Str. 3, Haus 14, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Christian Röder
- Institute for Experimental Cancer Research, University of Kiel, Arnold-Heller Str. 3 (Haus 17), D-24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Christoph Röcken
- Department of Pathology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH), Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller Str. 3, Haus 14, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Thomas Becker
- Department of General Surgery, Visceral, Thoracic, Transplantation and Pediatric Surgery, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH), Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller Str. 3, Haus 18, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Jan-Hendrik Egberts
- Department of General Surgery, Visceral, Thoracic, Transplantation and Pediatric Surgery, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH), Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller Str. 3, Haus 18, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Holger Kalthoff
- Institute for Experimental Cancer Research, University of Kiel, Arnold-Heller Str. 3 (Haus 17), D-24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Anna Trauzold
- Department of General Surgery, Visceral, Thoracic, Transplantation and Pediatric Surgery, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH), Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller Str. 3, Haus 18, 24105, Kiel, Germany. .,Institute for Experimental Cancer Research, University of Kiel, Arnold-Heller Str. 3 (Haus 17), D-24105, Kiel, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|