1. Splice variant expression of CD44 in patients with breast and ovarian cancer.
- Author
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Sanchez Lockhart M, Hajos SE, Basilio FM, Mongini C, and Alvarez E
- Subjects
- Adenocarcinoma chemistry, Adenocarcinoma genetics, Antigens, Neoplasm biosynthesis, Biomarkers, Tumor biosynthesis, Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast chemistry, Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast genetics, Cell Adhesion genetics, Exons genetics, Female, Fibroadenoma chemistry, Fibroadenoma genetics, Humans, Hyaluronan Receptors biosynthesis, Papilloma, Intraductal chemistry, Papilloma, Intraductal genetics, Prognosis, Protein Isoforms biosynthesis, RNA, Messenger genetics, RNA, Neoplasm genetics, Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction, Alternative Splicing, Antigens, Neoplasm genetics, Biomarkers, Tumor genetics, Breast Neoplasms genetics, Hyaluronan Receptors genetics, Ovarian Neoplasms genetics, Protein Isoforms genetics
- Abstract
CD44 is an adhesion molecule involved in many biological functions and has been described to play a role in tumor progression as well as in promotion of metastasis. It has also been suggested that expression of certain CD44 isoforms could be useful for breast and ovarian cancer screening, detection or staging. However, many other reports document no correlation between CD44 isoform expression and tumor malignancy. In light of such contradictory findings, we evaluated by exon-specific RT-PCR whether the expression of CD44 isoforms in breast and ovarian tumors correlated with any of the diagnostic criteria used to assess these diseases. We found a deregulation in the CD44 expression pattern in malignant tumors of both type of cancer compared with the one in benign tumors or normal tissue. However, we could not find a clear correlation between this deregulation or a given CD44 isoform and any diagnostic criteria evaluated, such as age, clinical data, tumor size, hormone receptor status, histological grade or aggressiveness.
- Published
- 2001