Volume 51 (12): 1575-1580, 2003 Copyright ©The Histochemical Society, Inc. Decreased Expression of the Low-density Lipoprotein Receptor-related Protein-1 (LRP-1) in Rats with Prostate Cancer
Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica (MBG,DGC,MMS,RCG,GAC) and Laboratorio de Histopatología (MO), Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina Correspondence to: Gustavo A. Chiabrando, Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Haya de la Torre y Medina Allende Ciudad Universitaria, (5000) Córdoba, Argentina. E-mail: gustavo{at}bioclin.fcq.unc.edu.ar
The aim of this work was to evaluate by immunohistochemistry (IHC) the expression of both LRP-1 and urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) at different developmental stages of rat prostate disease by using a prostate cancer model previously developed in our laboratory. We found that LRP-1 was weakly expressed in normal prostates and in rats with hyperplastic glands. The expression of this receptor increased and correlated with the degree of premalignant lesions (PIN I, II, and III). The IHC for uPAR in normal prostates and in premalignant lesions showed a score of immunostaining that correlated with the expression of LRP-1. On the other hand, in prostates with adenocarcinomas and undifferentiated carcinomas, LRP-1 was undetectable or weakly detected, whereas uPAR showed a significantly higher level of expression. Based on the IHC results in rat prostates with premalignant and malignant lesions and considering that LRP-1, by mediating the internalization of uPAR, is involved in the regulation of extracellular matrix remodeling and cell migration, we conclude that a decreased expression of LRP-1 could be involved with the increasing activation of plasminogen activators shown in cancers. (J Histochem Cytochem 51:15751580, 2003)
Key Words: low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor immunohistochemistry prostate cancer
IT HAS BEEN REPORTED that serine proteinases, tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) and urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA), and the expanding family of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) can regulate the tumor microenvironment. Their expression and activation are increased in almost all human cancers compared with normal tissue (Bissell and Radisky 2001
LRP-1 is a member of the low-density lipoprotein receptor gene family, which is synthesized as a single polypeptide chain of about 600 kD and in the trans-Golgi network is cleaved by furin into subunits of a 515-kD
In normal tissues, LRP-1 is expressed by hepatocytes, macrophages, fibroblasts, neurons, and vascular smooth muscle cells (Moestrup et al. 1992
Gilardoni et al. (1999) In this study, derived from this animal model, expressions of LRP-1 and uPAR were investigated by IHC to obtain further information about the interrelation of both receptors at different developmental stages of prostate disease and prostate cancer, using specific antibodies to these proteins.
Animals Three-month-old male random-bred Wistar rats were housed and cared for at the Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemical Science, National University of Cordoba, in accordance with the guidelines for Institutional Animal Care. Animal models suffering different types of prostate lesions were prepared after the DMBA and testosterone treatment previously reported (Gilardoni et al. 1999
Antibodies
Immunohistochemistry Negative controls for all antisera included (a) omission of primary antibody, (b) substitution of primary antibody with an MAb of irrelevant specificity, and (c) substitution of primary polyclonal antibody with normal non-immune IgG at the equivalent protein concentration. Immunostaining was assessed semiquantitatively as the percentage of positively stained cells according to the following scale: score 0, absent (no staining present) or <10% of cells with partial staining; score +1, light intensity or >10% of cells with partial staining; score +2, moderate intensity and >10% of cells with complete membrane staining; score +3, strong reaction and >10% of cells with complete membrane and cytoplasm staining. The sections were examined and scored by two independent observers, then reviewed together, and the average data represent a consensus value of all observations.
Western Blotting Analysis
LRP-1 Immunohistochemistry To evaluate the expression of LRP-1 in prostates of rats that experimentally develop different disease stages, IHC on paraffin-embedded tissues was done using an MAb against the 85-kD ß-chain of LRP-1. In each case, the positive staining for LRP-1 was localized predominantly in epithelial cells. Figures 1a and 1b show that both normal and hyperplastic prostates contain a pattern of staining for LRP-1 equivalent to score 0, whereas premalignant lesions with PIN I (Figure 1c), PIN II (Figure 1d) and PIN III (Figure 1e) showed scores of +1, +2, and +3, respectively. On the other hand, prostates with different types of tumor, such as adenocarcinoma (Figure 1f) and undifferentiated carcinoma (Figures 1g and 1h) showed a pattern of staining equivalent to score 0.
uPAR Immunohistochemistry The expression of uPAR at different stages of prostate disease was also studied by IHC and each imunostaining score was compared with that of LRP-1. The uPAR expression for normal, hyperplastic, and PIN I prostates showed a score of +1 (Figures 2a2c). PIN II and III presented a score of +2 (Figures 2d and 2e), and adenocarcinoma (Figure 2f) as well as undifferentiated carcinoma (Figure 2g) showed scores of +3 and +2, respectively. Table 1 shows and compares the IHC results for LRP-1 and uPAR obtained from the total number of animals studied. These data indicate that both receptors correlate positively in normal, hyperplastic, and premalignant lesions, whereas in tumor uPAR was highly expressed, in contrast to the very low level observed for LRP-1.
Western Blotting Analysis for LRP-1 Considering that the expression of LRP-1 was studied by IHC using a MAb against the 85-kD ß-chain, we evaluated the expression of this receptor on protein extracts of rat prostates by Western blotting, employing a polyclonal antibody against the 515-kD -chain of LRP-1. Figure 3
shows a single band equivalent to 515 kD. It was significantly detected in premalignant lesions, being more evident in PIN II and PIN III lesions (Figure 3, Lanes eg). On the other hand, the 515-kD -chain of LRP-1 was undetected in prostates with tumor (Figure 3, Lane a), being independent of the origin of the malignant lesion studied. These results showed a strong correlation with the IHC for LRP-1.
In this study we clearly show, using IHC procedures, the expression profile of LRP-1 and uPAR in an animal model that can generate different stages of prostate disease from benign or hyperplastic to premalignant and malignant lesions (Gilardoni et al. 1999
Immunohistochemical assays done for uPAR in the same tissues showed, in normal prostates as well as premalignant lesions, a score of staining that correlated with the expression of LRP-1 (Table 1). However, in prostates with adenocarcinomas and undifferentiated carcinomas, LRP-1 was undetectable or weakly detected, whereas uPAR showed a significantly higher level of expression. In addition, the expression level of LRP-1, by IHC using an MAb against the 85-kD transmembrane ß-chain, was also confirmed by Western blotting employing a polyclonal antibody against the 515-kD
The plasminogen activator system is composed of serine proteinases, such as uPA and tPA, and plays important roles in wound repair, tumor invasion, and cell migration under both normal and pathological conditions (Plas et al. 1998
Recently, a putative tumor suppressor gene was identified, termed LRP-1B or LRP-DIT (deleted in tumor) from the chromosome 2q21.2 region, which was found to be homozygously deleted in several human cancer cell lines (Liu et al. 2000 In conclusion, by using an animal model of prostate cancer we demonstrated by IHC that LRP-1 is weakly expressed in rat normal prostates and that its expression is increased in premalignant lesions, showing in each case a correlation with the level of immunostaining of uPAR. On the other hand, in prostate cancer the expression of LRP-1 is undetectable or weakly detected, whereas uPAR shows a significantly higher level of expression. Nevertheless, further studies are needed to elucidate the putative biochemical regulation of the differential expression of LRP-1 and uPAR during different stages of prostate disease and to evaluate the expression of both receptors in human glands to establish a potential use as early tumor markers for prostate cancer.
Supported in part by grants from SECyT (Secretaría de Ciencia y Tecnología de la Universidad Nacional de Córdoba), Agencia Córdoba Ciencia, PICTO CONICOR (Consejo de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas de la Provincia de Córdoba)Agencia Nacional de Ciencia de la República Argentina, and CONICET (Consejo de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas de la República Argentina). This work is dedicated to the memory of Professor Dr Miguel A. Vides, PhD; he was our light and showed our way in life. We are grateful to Dr Carlos A. Landa for critical reading and suggestions about the manuscript.
Received for publication April 9, 2003; accepted August 13, 2003
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