CD146 Expression Correlates with Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Markers and a Poor Prognosis in Gastric Cancer

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Wen-Fang Liu²  Shu-Rong Ji¹  Jian-Jun Sun¹  Yi Zhang¹  Zhong-Yan Liu¹  Ai-Bin Liang¹ 

[1] Central Laboratory, Tongji Hospital of Tongji University, Shanghai 200065, China; E-Mails:;Department of General Surgery, Tongji Hospital of Tongji University, Shanghai 200065, China; E-Mail:

关键词: CD146;    gastric cancer;    epithelial-mesenchymal transition;    prognosis;    immunohistochemistry;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms13056399

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

CD146 has been regarded as a novel potential therapeutic target for multiple cancers. The aim of the study was to investigate the expression of CD146 in gastric cancer and evaluate its clinical-pathological and prognostic significance. The expression of CD146 and three epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins (E-cadherin, β-catenin and vimentin) was examined in 144 gastric cancers by immunohistochemistry. Fifty-nine cases (41.0%) were defined as positive for CD146 expression. We found that CD146 expression correlated positively with lymph node involvement and a poor prognosis, and retained an independent prognostic factor for gastric cancer patients. Furthermore, positive expression of CD146 was strongly associated with loss of the epithelial marker E-cadherin and acquisition of the expression of the mesenchymal markers nuclear β-catenin and vimentin. These findings suggest that CD146 might promote EMT and progression in gastric cancer, and thus may be a potential therapeutic target for patients with gastric cancers.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2012 by the authors; licensee Molecular Diversity Preservation International, Basel, Switzerland.