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OCT‐4 , an embryonic stem cell marker, is highly expressed in bladder cancer
Author(s) -
Atlasi Yaser,
Mowla Seyed J.,
Ziaee Seyed A.M.,
Bahrami AhmadReza
Publication year - 2007
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/ijc.22508
Subject(s) - carcinogenesis , immunohistochemistry , embryonic stem cell , pathology , biology , bladder cancer , cancer , cancer research , somatic cell , stem cell , cancer stem cell , western blot , stem cell marker , blot , medicine , gene , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics
OCT‐4 (also known as POU5F1 ) is a key regulator of self‐renewal in embryonic stem cells. Regarding the new cancer stem cell concept, the expression of such genes is potentially correlated with tumorigenesis and can affect some aspects of tumor behavior, such as tumor recurrence or resistance to therapies. Although OCT‐4 has been introduced as a molecular marker for germ cell tumors, little is known about its expression in somatic cancers. Here, we have investigated the potential expression of OCT‐4 in bladder cancer. We used semiquantitative RT‐PCR to examine the expression of OCT‐4 in 32 tumors, 13 apparently nontumor tissues taken from the margin of tumors and 9 normal urothelial tissues. The expression of OCT‐4 at protein level was further determined by Western blotting and immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis. OCT‐4 expression was detected in almost all examined tumors (31/32), but at much lower level ( p < 0.001) in some nonneoplastic samples (6/22). A significantly strong correlation of 0.6 has been observed between OCT‐4 expression and the presence of tumors ( p < 0.001). Western blot analysis further confirmed the expression of OCT‐4 in tumor biopsies. According to IHC results, OCT‐4 is primarily localized in the nuclei of tumor cells, with no or low immunoreactivity in nontumor cells. Our study demonstrated, for the first time, the expression of OCT‐4 in bladder cancer and a further clue to the involvement of embryonic genes in carcinogenesis. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.