Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China; The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for High Cancer Incidence Coastal Chaoshan Area, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China.
Institute of Oncologic Pathology, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China.
Acta Histochem. 2014 Jun;116(5):803-9. doi: 10.1016/j.acthis.2014.01.010. Epub 2014 Mar 12.
Desmoglein 3 (DSG3), a transmembrane cadherin of the desmosomal cell-cell adhesion structure, plays vital roles in the maintenance of normal epithelial tissue architecture. Reports implicating a role for DSG3 expression in cancer are few and contradictory. In this study, immunohistochemical staining was employed to investigate DSG3 expression and subcellular localization in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), and to correlate changes with clinical characteristics. Results indicate that in normal squamous cell epithelia, strong DSG3 immunoreactivity was observed in the Stratum spinosum, and localization occurred only at the cell membrane. In ESCC, DSG3 immunoreactivity displayed an abnormal cytoplasmic localization that was correlated with cell differentiation (P=0.018). Most strikingly, in 74.1% of the tumors, DSG3 expression was up-regulated and correlated with regional lymph node metastasis (P=0.036). Moreover, in patients without lymph node metastasis, cytoplasmic localization of DSG3 correlated with poor prognosis (P=0.044). These results suggest that DSG3 is involved in the development of ESCC and imply that DSG3 overexpression is likely to be an essential contributor to the aggressive features of esophageal cancer.
桥粒芯糖蛋白 3（DSG3）是桥粒细胞-细胞黏附结构的跨膜钙黏蛋白，在维持正常上皮组织形态中发挥着重要作用。关于 DSG3 表达在癌症中作用的报告很少且相互矛盾。本研究采用免疫组织化学染色方法，研究了 DSG3 在食管鳞状细胞癌（ESCC）中的表达和亚细胞定位，并将其变化与临床特征相关联。结果表明，在正常鳞状上皮细胞中，DSG3 在棘层有强烈的免疫反应性，且定位于细胞膜。在 ESCC 中，DSG3 的免疫反应性显示出异常的细胞质定位，与细胞分化相关（P=0.018）。最显著的是，在 74.1%的肿瘤中，DSG3 的表达上调，并与区域淋巴结转移相关（P=0.036）。此外，在无淋巴结转移的患者中，DSG3 的细胞质定位与预后不良相关（P=0.044）。这些结果表明 DSG3 参与了 ESCC 的发生，并提示 DSG3 的过表达可能是食管癌侵袭性特征的重要促成因素。
