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Coexpression of ephrin‐Bs and their receptors in colon carcinoma
Author(s) -
Liu Wenbiao,
Ahmad Syed A.,
Jung Young D.,
Reinmuth Niels,
Fan B.S. Fan,
Bucana Corazon D.,
Ellis Lee M.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/cncr.10122
Subject(s) - ephrin , erythropoietin producing hepatocellular (eph) receptor , immunohistochemistry , biology , pathology , carcinoma , cancer research , angiogenesis , receptor tyrosine kinase , receptor , medicine , biochemistry
BACKGROUND The erythropoietin‐producing hepatoma amplified sequence (Eph) family is the largest subfamily of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs). The Ephs (receptors) bind to specific cell‐bound ligands, called ephrins. The binding of this ligand‐receptor system is dependent on cell‐cell interactions. The ephrin‐Eph system is important in embryologic development and differentiation of the nervous and vascular systems. In the current study, the authors hypothesized that ephrins may play a role in the growth and development of colon carcinoma and may be expressed differentially in normal and malignant colonic tissues. METHODS Reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR), Northern Blot analyses, and immunohistochemistry were used to examine 11 colon carcinoma cell lines and 20 human colon carcinoma specimens with adjacent uninvolved mucosa for the expression of EphB and ephrin‐B family members. RESULTS EphB2, EphB3, and EphB4 mRNA expression and ephrin‐B2 mRNA expression was detected in all the cell lines and colon carcinoma specimens examined. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that ephrin‐B2 had higher expression in the colon carcinoma specimens studied than in adjacent normal mucosa. Ephrin‐B2 and EphB4 most frequently were expressed on the luminal surface of colon carcinoma epithelium. CONCLUSIONS The results of the current suggest that the ephrin‐Bs are expressed differentially in colon carcinoma and normal mucosa specimens and thus may play a role in the progression of colon carcinoma. Further studies are necessary to determine the functional role of ephrin‐Bs in colon carcinoma angiogenesis and growth. Cancer 2002;94:934–9. © 2002 American Cancer Society. DOI 10.1002/cncr.10122