Maspin expression and subcellular localization in invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast: Prognostic significance and relation to microvessel density

A meta‑ and bioinformatics analysis of maspin expression levels influencing the prognosis of patients with breast cancer

Maspin is a serine protease inhibitor that is encoded by the human SERPINB5 gene. As a tumor inhibitor, it can inhibit the growth of tumor cells, increase adhesion between tumor cells and inhibit tumor angiogenesis. In the present study, a meta- and bioinformatics analysis was performed through the PubMed and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases including entries added until up to March 20, 2023. It was found that compared with normal breast tissue, maspin expression was downregulated in breast cancer tissue. Maspin expression was negatively associated with lymph node metastasis. According to Kaplan-Meier plotter, it was found that lower maspin expression was negatively associated with the overall and distant metastasis-free survival rate of patients with estrogen receptor-positive, luminal A and grade 2 breast cancer. High expression of maspin was also positively associated with the relapse-free survival rate of patients of the luminal A subtype. Low maspin expression was positively associated with the post-progression and distant metastasis-free survival rate of the progesterone receptor-negative subtype. According to the GEPIA database, SERPINB5 mRNA expression was higher in normal than breast cancer tissues and negatively correlated with the TNM stage. High expression of maspin was also positively associated with the overall survival rate. In the UALCAN database, it was found that the mRNA and promoter methylation levels of SERPINB5 were higher in normal than in breast cancer tissues. These findings suggest that the expression of maspin may serve as a potential marker to indicate the occurrence, subsequent progression and even prognosis of breast cancer.

The Role of Maspin Expression as Diagnostic Tissue Marker in Pancreaticoduodenal Malignant Tumors and Benign Lesions

BACKGROUND: Maspin (a tumor suppressor gene) is down-regulated in breast, prostate, gastric, and melanoma. Although it is not detected in normal pancreatic tissue, it is over-expressed in pancreatic cancer suggesting that maspin may play different activities in different cell types. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PC) acquires maspin expression through hypomethylation of its promoter. AIM: Because the discrimination between ampullary and periampullary carcinomas is challenging in advanced cases, this inspired us to search for the use of maspin expression to discriminate between ampullary carcinoma (AC), PC, duodenal adenocarcinoma (DC), and other confusing benign and inflammatory pancreatic lesions. METHODS: Immunostaining for maspin was performed for 80 pancreaticoduodenal lesions. Sixty cases were malignant: 48 cases of pancreatic epithelial tumor (41 PC and 7 solid pseudopapillary neoplasm), 9 AC, and 3 DC. Twenty cases were non-malignant: 12 inflammatory (chronic pancreatitis), 5 benign neoplastic (serous cystadenomas), and 3 normal pancreatic tissue. Cytoplasmic and/or nuclear staining was considered positive as: Focally positive (5–50% of tumor cells), diffusely positive (>50% of tumor cells), or negative (<5% tumor cells). RESULTS: Maspin expression (positive/negative), distribution (focal/diffuse), and nuclear expression are significantly different between PC, solid pseudopapillary neoplasm, AC, and DC. PC shows significantly higher expression with more diffuse positivity and more nuclear expression than other malignant groups. Forty cases of PC (40/41) (97.6%) showed positive expression; 28 of them (28/40) (70%) showed diffuse expression and 82.5% (33 cases) showed nuclear and cytoplasmic expression. Only one case (14.3%) (1/7) of solid pseudopapillary neoplasm showed positive focal cytoplasmic expression. Three AC cases (3/9) (33.3%) showed positive focal cytoplasmic expression. Two cases of DC (2/3) (66.7%) showed positive focal cytoplasmic expression. Maspin expression shows significant positive correlation with poor prognostic variables as tumor grade, lymphovascular invasion, T stage of PC. Minority of chronic pancreatitis and benign lesions are maspin positive with significant difference from the malignant groups. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that maspin can be of value in differentiating pancreatic adenocarcinoma from ampullary carcinoma, duodenal adenocarcinoma, and other confusing lesions as chronic pancreatitis.

Targeting TRAF3IP2, Compared to Rab27, is More Effective in Suppressing the Development and Metastasis of Breast Cancer

Here we investigated the roles of Rab27a, a player in exosome release, and TRAF3IP2, an inflammatory mediator, in development and metastasis of breast cancer (BC) in vivo. Knockdown (KD) of Rab27a (MDA_KDRab27a) or TRAF3IP2 (MDA_KDTRAF3IP2) in triple negative MDA-MB231 cells reduced tumor growth by 70-97% compared to wild-type tumors (MDA_w). While metastasis was detected in MDA_w-injected animals, none was detected in MDA_KDRab27a- or MDA_KDTRAF3IP2-injected animals. Interestingly, micrometastasis was detected only in the MDA_KDRab27a-injected group. In addition to inhibiting tumor growth and metastasis, silencing TRAF3IP2 disrupted inter-cellular inflammatory mediator-mediated communication with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) injected into contralateral mammary gland, evidenced by the lack of tumor growth at MSC-injected site. Of translational significance, treatment of pre-formed MDA_w-tumors with a lentiviral-TRAF3IP2-shRNA not only regressed their size, but also prevented metastasis. These results demonstrate that while silencing Rab27a and TRAF3IP2 each inhibited tumor growth and metastasis, silencing TRAF3IP2 is more effective; targeting TRAF3IP2 inhibited tumor formation, regressed preformed tumors, and prevented both macro- and micrometastasis. Silencing TRAF3IP2 also blocked interaction between tumor cells and MSCs injected into the contralateral gland, as evidenced by the lack of tumor formation on MSCs injected site. These results identify TRAF3IP2 as a novel therapeutic target in BC.

Maspin differential expression patterns as a potential marker for targeted screening of esophageal adenocarcinoma/gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma

AIM

Barrett's esophagus (BE) is a predisposing factor of esophageal adenocarcinoma/gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma (ECA/GEJ Aca). BE patients are stratified and subsequently monitored according to the risk of malignant progression by the combination of endoscopy and biopsy. This study is to evaluate the maspin expression patterns as early diagnostic markers of malignancy in BE patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining was performed on 62 archival core biopsies from 35 patients, including BE without dysplasia (intestinal metaplasia, IM), BE with low grade dysplasia, BE with high grade dysplasia, carcinoma in situ, and well to poorly differentiated ECA/GEJ Aca (PD-ECA/GEJ Aca). The intensity and the subcellular distribution of immunoreactivity were evaluated microscopically. Statistical analysis was performed using the χ2 and Fisher exact tests.

RESULTS

The level of epithelial-specific tumor suppressor maspin protein inversely correlated with the progression from IM to PD-ECA/GEJ Aca. Lesions of each pathological grade could be divided into subtypes that exhibited distinct maspin subcellular distribution patterns, including nuclear only (Nuc), combined nuclear and cytoplasmic (Nuc+Cyt), cytoplasmic only (Cyt) and overall negligible (Neg). The Cyt subtype, which was minor in both IM and dysplasia (approximately 10%), was predominant in ECA/GEJ Aca as early as well-differentiated lesions (more than 50%: p = 0.0092). In comparison, nuclear staining of the tumor suppressor TP53 was heterogeneous in dysplasia, and did not correlate with the differentiation grades of ECA/GEJ Aca.

CONCLUSION

The Cyt subtype of maspin expression pattern in core biopsies of BE patients may serve as a molecular marker for early diagnosis of ECA/GEJ Aca.