Zhang H, Xu L, Xiao D, Xie J, Zeng H, Cai W, Niu Y, Yang Z, Shen Z, Li E
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical College of Shantou University, Shantou, Guangdong Province, PR China.
J Clin Pathol. 2006 Sep;59(9):958-64. doi: 10.1136/jcp.2005.032730. Epub 2006 Mar 8.
Fascin, an actin-binding protein, is usually expressed at a low level in normal epithelium, but is markedly up regulated in several types of carcinomas. Reports on fascin expression in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and precancerous lesions remain rare.
To show the roles of fascin in the progression from normal epithelium to invasive ESCC.
Fascin expression in 102 sections embedded in paraffin wax, including samples of normal mucosa (n = 20), dysplasia (n = 10), ESCC (n = 62) and special sections (n = 10) of a full-length mucosa layer from the distant margin to the cancer focus of the excised oesophagus, and 49 fresh specimens of ESCC was analysed by immunohistochemistry, western blot and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Fascin expression in ESCC cell lines was also investigated.
In the immunohistochemical study, the positive rate of fascin was significantly higher in the tumour tissue than in the normal epithelium (p = 0.020), but no significant difference was shown between ESCC and dysplasia (p = 1.000). Immunostaining for fascin was only apparent in the basal layer of the normal epithelium. However, in the dysplasia, positive staining was observed in most of the heterogeneous cells from the basal layer to the granular layer of the epithelium. Fascin expression was seen to increase progressively from the normal epithelium to invasive ESCC. Up regulation of fascin was observed in 87.76% (43/49) and 77.55% (38/49) of the specimens, respectively, using western blot and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assays; 80% (4/5) of ESCC cell lines also expressed fascin at a high level. Furthermore, overexpression of fascin was markedly correlated with cell proliferation and lymph node metastasis.
These findings suggested that fascin was associated with the transformation and development of ESCC and implicated the potential of fascin as a novel biomarker that would allow the tumour to be identified at an early stage in high-risk individuals.
Fascin是一种肌动蛋白结合蛋白，通常在正常上皮中低水平表达，但在几种类型的癌中显著上调。关于Fascin在食管鳞状细胞癌（ESCC）及癌前病变中表达的报道仍然很少。
揭示Fascin在从正常上皮向浸润性ESCC进展过程中的作用。
采用免疫组织化学、蛋白质印迹法及实时逆转录-聚合酶链反应，分析102例石蜡包埋切片中Fascin的表达情况，这些切片包括正常黏膜样本（n = 20）、发育异常样本（n = 10）、ESCC样本（n = 62）以及取自切除食管从远切缘至癌灶的全长黏膜层的特殊切片（n = 10），另外还分析了49例ESCC新鲜标本。同时也研究了ESCC细胞系中Fascin的表达。
免疫组织化学研究中，肿瘤组织中Fascin的阳性率显著高于正常上皮（p = 0.020），但ESCC与发育异常之间无显著差异（p = 1.000）。Fascin免疫染色仅在正常上皮的基底层明显。然而，在发育异常中，在上皮从基底层到颗粒层的大多数异质性细胞中观察到阳性染色。Fascin表达从正常上皮到浸润性ESCC呈逐渐增加趋势。采用蛋白质印迹法和实时逆转录-聚合酶链反应分析，分别在87.76%（43/49）和77.55%（38/49）的标本中观察到Fascin上调；80%（4/5）的ESCC细胞系也高水平表达Fascin。此外，Fascin过表达与细胞增殖和淋巴结转移显著相关。
这些发现表明Fascin与ESCC的转化和发展相关，并提示Fascin作为一种新型生物标志物在高危个体早期识别肿瘤方面的潜力。
