Do Sung-Im, Araujo Eduard Santini, Kalil Ricardo K, Bacchini Patrizia, Bertoni Franco, Unni K Krishnan, Park Yong-Koo
Department of Pathology, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
Tumori. 2008 May-Jun;94(3):347-50. doi: 10.1177/030089160809400310.
HuR is a member of the family of ELAV (embryonic lethal abnormal vision)-like proteins that stabilize several cellular mRNAs by binding to AU-rich elements in the 3' untranslated region of the mRNA. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is a well known enzyme that promotes tumor growth and metastasis. Recent studies have shown that HuR can stabilize the mRNA of COX-2, and cytoplasmic expression of HuR is associated with increased COX-2 expression in some cancers. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between COX-2 and HuR in Ewing sarcoma.
The expression patterns for HuR and COX-2 were assessed via immunochemical analysis of 70 Ewing sarcoma samples.
Nuclear HuR expression was observed in 12 of 70 (17.1%) cases, but cytoplasmic expression was not observed. COX-2 expression was seen in 25 of 70 (35.7%) samples. Nuclear HuR and COX-2 were simultaneously expressed in 8 of 70 (11.4%) samples. The expression of nuclear HuR was significantly associated with COX-2 expression (P = 0.014). Neither HuR nor COX-2 expression showed a correlation with age or sex.
COX-2 expression in Ewing sarcoma may not be directly related to mRNA stabilization by HuR. However, a correlation between COX-2 expression and nuclear HuR expression through indirect mRNA stabilization can be suggested.
HuR是ELAV（胚胎致死性异常视觉）样蛋白家族的成员，通过与mRNA 3'非翻译区富含AU的元件结合来稳定多种细胞mRNA。环氧化酶-2（COX-2）是一种促进肿瘤生长和转移的著名酶。最近的研究表明，HuR可以稳定COX-2的mRNA，并且在某些癌症中，HuR的细胞质表达与COX-2表达增加有关。本研究的目的是探讨尤因肉瘤中COX-2与HuR之间的相关性。
通过对70例尤因肉瘤样本进行免疫化学分析来评估HuR和COX-2的表达模式。
70例中有12例（17.1%）观察到核HuR表达，但未观察到细胞质表达。70个样本中有25例（35.7%）检测到COX-2表达。70个样本中有8例（11.4%）同时表达核HuR和COX-2。核HuR的表达与COX-2表达显著相关（P = 0.014）。HuR和COX-2的表达均与年龄或性别无关。
尤因肉瘤中COX-2的表达可能与HuR介导的mRNA稳定没有直接关系。然而，可以推测COX-2表达与通过间接mRNA稳定作用的核HuR表达之间存在相关性。
