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Increased Akt and phosphorylated Akt expression are associated with malignant biological features of prostate cancer in Japanese men
Author(s) -
Shimizu Yousuke,
Segawa Takehiko,
Inoue Takahiro,
Shiraishi Taizo,
Yoshida Toru,
Toda Yoshinobu,
Yamada Tomomi,
Kinukawa Naoko,
Terada Naoki,
Kobayashi Takashi,
Kinoshita Hidefumi,
Kamoto Toshiyuki,
Nakamura Eijiro,
Ogawa Osamu
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
bju international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.773
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1464-410X
pISSN - 1464-4096
DOI - 10.1111/j.1464-410x.2007.07014.x
Subject(s) - protein kinase b , prostate cancer , pi3k/akt/mtor pathway , tissue microarray , immunohistochemistry , cancer research , medicine , cancer , oncology , biology , phosphorylation , signal transduction , microbiology and biotechnology
OBJECTIVE To investigate the relationship between the expression of Akt (a serine/threonine kinase that plays a central role in tumorigenesis), phosphorylated Akt (p‐Akt), prostate cancer tumour grade, androgen receptor (AR)‐staining score, and Ki67 labelling index (LI) in Japanese men. PATIENTS, MATERIALS AND METHODS The expression and activation of the cell survival protein Akt was analysed by immunohistochemical staining of paraffin‐embedded tissue microarray sections of prostate carcinoma taken from 52 Japanese men who under radical prostatectomy. The correlation between the expression of Akt and p‐Akt, and their relationship to primary Gleason grade, AR expression and Ki‐67 LI was investigated. RESULTS The expression of Akt and p‐Akt were positively related to primary Gleason grade (Fisher’s exact test, P = 0.002 and P = 0.032, respectively). Both AR‐staining score and Ki67 LI were were positively related to the expression of Akt (both P < 0.001) and p‐Akt ( P < 0.001 and P = 0.008, respectively). There was a significant positive correlation between the expression of Akt and p‐Akt (Spearman’s correlation, r = 0.644, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Increased expression of both Akt and p‐Akt were associated with higher tumour grade as well as a higher AR‐staining score and Ki67 LI. These data indicate that Akt and p‐Akt might be molecular markers for detecting malignant biological features of prostate cancer in the Japanese population.