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Myoglobin expression in prostate cancer is correlated to androgen receptor expression and markers of tumor hypoxia

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Abstract

Recent studies identified unexpected expression and transcriptional complexity of the hemoprotein myoglobin (MB) in human breast cancer but its role in prostate cancer is still unclear. Expression of MB was immunohistochemically analyzed in three independent cohorts of radical prostatectomy specimens (n = 409, n = 625, and n = 237). MB expression data were correlated with clinicopathological parameters and molecular parameters of androgen and hypoxia signaling. Expression levels of novel tumor-associated MB transcript variants and the VEGF gene as a hypoxia marker were analyzed using qRT-PCR. Fifty-three percent of the prostate cancer cases were MB positive and significantly correlated with androgen receptor (AR) expression (p < 0.001). The positive correlation with CAIX (p < 0.001) and FASN (p = 0.008) as well as the paralleled increased expression of the tumor-associated MB transcript variants and VEGF suggest that hypoxia participates in MB expression regulation. Analogous to breast cancer, MB expression in prostate cancer is associated with steroid hormone signaling and markers of hypoxia. Further studies must elucidate the novel functional roles of MB in human carcinomas, which probably extend beyond its classic intramuscular function in oxygen storage.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Silvia Behnke (Immunohistochemistry) and Martina Storz (TMA core facility, USZ) for excellent technical support.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Correspondence to Glen Kristiansen.

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Meller, S., Bicker, A., Montani, M. et al. Myoglobin expression in prostate cancer is correlated to androgen receptor expression and markers of tumor hypoxia. Virchows Arch 465, 419–427 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-014-1646-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-014-1646-y

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