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mRNA expression of ligands of the epidermal‐growth‐factor‐receptor in the uterus
Author(s) -
Pfeiffer Doris,
Spranger Jochen,
AlDeiri Michael,
Kimmig Rainer,
FisselerEckhoff Annette,
Scheidel Peter,
Schatz Helmut,
Jensen Arne,
Pfeiffer Andreas
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0215(19970807)72:4<581::aid-ijc5>3.0.co;2-m
Subject(s) - amphiregulin , epidermal growth factor receptor , cervix , endometrium , messenger rna , biology , cancer research , endometrial cancer , epidermal growth factor , housekeeping gene , gene expression , receptor , cancer , medicine , endocrinology , gene , biochemistry
Six different ligands of the epidermal‐growth‐factor receptor (EGFR) have been identified in the past. In some cervical squamous‐cell carcinomas, an increased amount of proteins binding to the EGFR has been reported. In order to identify the mRNA of EGFR ligands (EGFRL), which might be over‐expressed in cervical and endometrial cancers, we performed semi‐quantitative reverse‐transcription/polymerase chain reactions (RT‐PCR) for all 6 EGFRL in RNA extracts of normal and malignant tissue samples of the human uterus. PCR products from RNA extracts of 83 patients were quantitated relative to the housekeeping gene and internal standard pyruvate dehydrogenase by analyzing the PCR kinetics of product synthesis. In extracts of normal cervix, the level of mRNA expression of the EGFRL was significantly higher than in endometrium. No significant difference was detected between normal cervix and cervical carcinomas. However, both in cervical and in endometrial cancers, mRNA expression was non‐parametrically distributed and in some cervical cancers overexpression of transforming growth factor alpha (TGF‐α), amphiregulin or EGF was observed. In endometrial cancers, mRNA levels of all EGFRL were higher than in normal endometrium. This increase was significant ( p < 0.005) for TGF‐α and amphiregulin. Thus, TGF‐α mRNA is over‐expressed in approximately 10% of cervical cancers and in the majority of endometrial cancers. Since TGF‐α anti‐sense therapy might represent a future strategy in such cancers, we also determined the absolute level of TGF‐α mRNA expression by quantitative PCR using a cloned standard. Int. J. Cancer 72:581–586, 1997.© 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.