RESUMO
Syndecans, a family of heparan sulphate proteoglycans that are present in the cellsurface are involved in the control o fcel lproliferation, apoptosis and transfor-mation. Syndecans 1 and 2 have a central role in processes such as position control, invasion, angiogenesis and metastases ofseveral types of cáncer The expression of Syndecan 1 in epithelial cells, decreases when cells are transformed and acquire invasive properties. This decreased expression is associated to a bad prognosis. Syndecan 2, originally described in mesenchymal cells, favors cell apoptosis, increa-ses angiogenesis and controls the death of cáncer cells subjected to chemotherapy Both syndecans are present in basal and epithelial cells of prostate cancer Their lower expression is associated to more undifferentiated tumors. Disturbances in the expression and subcellular location of syndecans predict the relapse of localized tumors. Syndecans 1 and 2 can be considered tumor suppression genes and can be targetsfor new treatments. The detection of circulating fragments of these molecules could be useful for the early detection of prostate cancer.
Assuntos
Biomarcadores Tumorais/metabolismo , Neoplasias da Próstata/diagnóstico , Sindecana-1/metabolismo , Sindecana-2/metabolismo , Biomarcadores Tumorais/análise , Humanos , Masculino , Prognóstico , Sindecana-1/análise , Sindecana-2/análiseRESUMO
The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is considered a key step in tumor progression, where the invasive cancer cells change from epithelial to mesenchymal phenotype. During this process, a decrease or loss in adhesion molecules expression and an increase in migration molecules expression are observed. The aim of this work was to determine the expression and cellular distribution of syndecan-1 and -2 (migration molecules) and E-cadherin and beta-catenin (adhesion molecules) in different stages of prostate cancer progression. A quantitative immunohistochemical study of these molecules was carried out in tissue samples from benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate carcinoma, with low and high Gleason score, obtained from biopsies archives of the Clinic Hospital of the University of Chile and Dipreca Hospital. Polyclonal specific antibodies and amplification system of estreptavidin-biotin peroxidase and diaminobenzidine were used. Syndecan-1 was uniformly expressed in basolateral membranes of normal epithelium, changing to a granular cytoplasmatic expression pattern in carcinomas. Syndecan-2 was observed mainly in a cytoplasmatic granular pattern, with high immunostaining intensity in areas of low Gleason score. E-cadherin was detected in basolateral membrane of normal epithelia showing decreased expression in high Gleason score samples. beta-Catenin was found in cell membranes of normal epithelia changing its distribution toward the nucleus and cytoplasm in carcinoma samples. We concluded that changes in expression and cell distribution of E-cadherin and beta-catenin correlated with the progression degree of prostate adenocarcinoma, suggesting a role of these molecules as markers of progression and prognosis. Furthermore, changes in the pattern expression of syndecan-1 and -2 indicate that both molecules may be involved in the EMT and tumor progression of prostate cancer.