Premium
Expression of calpain I messenger RNA in human renal cell carcinoma: Correlation with lymph node metastasis and histological type
Author(s) -
Braun Christian,
Engel Matthias,
Seifert Markus,
Theisinger Birgit,
Seitz Gerhard,
Zang Klaus D.,
Welter Cornelius
Publication year - 1999
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(19990219)84:1<6::aid-ijc2>3.0.co;2-t
Subject(s) - calpain , biology , carcinogenesis , cancer research , pathology , renal cell carcinoma , metastasis , carcinoma , kidney cancer , cancer , medicine , biochemistry , genetics , enzyme
Calpain, also named CANP (for calcium‐activated neutral protease), is an intracellular cytoplasmatic non‐lysosomal cysteine endopeptidase that requires calcium ions for activity. Many substrates of the calpain isoenzymes, such as the transcription factors c‐Fos and c‐Jun, the tumor supressor protein p53, protein kinase C, pp60 c‐src and the adhesion molecule integrin, have been implicated in the pathogenesis of different human tumors, suggesting an important role of the calpains in malignant diseases. We now report differential expression of the calpain I gene (CL 1) in a variety of tumors, extending our study to a larger series of renal cell carcinomas. Using Northern‐blot analysis, we studied calpain I expression in 30 renal cell carcinomas as compared with matched healthy tissues. Tumor samples were classified according to their histological type: 21 clear cell carcinomas, 4 chromophobe carcinomas, 3 papillary carcinomas and 2 oncocytomas. In renal tumor samples, calpain I gene mRNA was expressed at highly variable levels, significantly depending on the different histological types. Moreover, there was a correlation of higher calpain I expression with increased malignancy: within the clear cell carcinoma subset, tumor samples with advanced nodal status (N1 and N2) showed a significantly higher calpain I expression than tumors without metastasis to regional lymph nodes. Our data suggest an important role of calpain isoenzymes in carcinogenesis and tumor progression. Int. J. Cancer (Pred. Oncol.) 84:6–9, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.