| dc:title | Expression of connexin-43 in surgical resections of primary tumor and lymph node metastases of squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma of the lung: a retrospective study |
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| dc:creator | Savic, Ivana |
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| dc:creator | Milovanovic, Petar |
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| dc:creator | Opric, Svetlana |
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| dc:creator | Ivanovic, Nebojsa |
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| dc:creator | Opric, Dejan |
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| dc:subject | connexin 43 |
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| dc:subject | lung cancer |
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| dc:subject | squamous cell carcinoma |
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| dc:subject | adenocarcinoma |
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| dc:subject | lymph node metastasis |
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| dc:subject | gap junctions |
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| dc:subject | protein localization |
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| dc:subject | prognostic factors |
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| dc:subject | primary tumor versus metastasis |
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| dc:description | Background: Connexins are transmembrane proteins forming gap junctions between the cells, which allow intercellular communication. Significance of gap junctions and connexins in lung carcinoma is not yet understood. The objective of the study was to investigate immunohistochemical expression and the localization of connexin-43 (Cx43) in primary lung carcinoma and its lymphatic metastases. Methods: Surgical specimens of excised tumors from 88 patients (45 men and 43 women, 61.9 ± 7.4 years) with lung carcinoma (52 adenocarcinoma (AC), 36 squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC)) who were operated on at the University Hospital "Bezanijska Kosa" in a five-year period (2012-2016) were used. We conducted immunohistochemical staining for Cx43 and measured the degree of expression (percentage of positive cells and staining intensity) as well as localization of Cx43 in primary tumor and in lymphatic metastases. Results: < 0.001). Almost 70% of samples with SqCC showed high Cx43 expression, whereas AC showed no expression in more than 50% of cases. Localization of Cx43 expression was most often cytoplasmic (AC and SqCC) and combined membranous and cytoplasmic (SqCC) with very rare instances of nuclear localization (AC). Almost the same pattern in distribution, intensity, and localization of Cx43 expression was observed in the lymph node metastases; however, almost a third of AC cases changed the pattern of Cx43 expression in the metastasis compared to primary tumor. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that lung carcinomas express Cx43 in more than 65% of cases and that it was aberrantly localized (not membranous localization). We highlighted that SqCC expressed Cx43 more than did AC, both in primary tumor and lymphatic metastases. Further research is needed to establish whether Cx43 could be used as a prognostic biomarker in lung carcinoma. |
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| dc:publisher | PeerJ, Inc. |
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| dc:date | 2022 |
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| dc:type | info:eu-repo/semantics/article |
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| dc:type | info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion |
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| dc:identifier | https://stomatoloskifakultet.rs/nauka/publikacija/764 |
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| dc:identifier | DOI 10.7717/peerj.13055 |
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| dc:identifier | ISSN 2167-8359 |
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| dc:source | Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology 10: e13055 |
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| dc:language | en |
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| dc:rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess |
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| dc:rights | Sva prava zadržana |
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