Open AccessAberrant β‐catenin expression in urothelial carcinomas in blackfoot disease‐endemic areas
Author(s) -
Chen YiTing,
Wu ChunChieh,
Liu XuanPing,
Chai CheeYin
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
the kaohsiung journal of medical sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.439
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 2410-8650
pISSN - 1607-551X
DOI - 10.1016/j.kjms.2016.10.006
Subject(s) - catenin , medicine , immunohistochemistry , carcinogenesis , cadherin , pathology , disease , cell , cancer , biology , wnt signaling pathway , microbiology and biotechnology , signal transduction , genetics
Arsenic is a well‐known toxic element and carcinogenic agent. The aim of this study was to investigate p63, E‐cadherin, and β‐catenin proteins in urothelial carcinoma (UC) in both arsenic contaminated areas [so‐called blackfoot disease (BFD) area] and non‐BFD areas. The expressions of p63, E‐cadherin, and β‐catenin proteins in 20 UC cases of blackfoot disease and 22 UC cases in non‐BFD areas were detected using immunohistochemical methods. The results revealed a high p63 expression in 20 (47.6%) UC cases and high E‐cadherin expression in six (14.3%) UC cases. Expressions of p63 and E‐cadherin showed no significant correlations with clinicopathologic parameters. However, all 20 BFD cases and 12 of 22 (54.5%) non‐BFD cases showed aberrant β‐catenin expression. Ten out of 22 (45.5%) non‐BFD cases also had normal membranous immunoreactivity. The β‐catenin staining pattern significantly differed between cases in endemic and nonendemic areas of BFD ( p = 0.001). Tumor sites also significantly correlated with β‐catenin expression ( p = 0.044). In addition, membranous localization of β‐catenin was lower in UC from BFD‐endemic areas compared with those from non‐BFD endemic areas. In conclusion, it is suggested that relocalization of β‐catenin from membrane to cytoplasm may be involved in the tumorigenesis of UC from BFD‐endemic areas.