DOI: 10.1369/jhc.4A6256.2004 Volume 52 (8): 1083-1090, 2004 Copyright ©The Histochemical Society, Inc. Differential Expression of CD44 During Human Prostate Epithelial Cell Differentiation
Prostate Cancer Research Centre, Institute of Urology (TNA,IL,JRM,DLH) and Breast Cancer Research Laboratory (MJO), University College London, London, United Kingdom; Department of Histopathology (AF), Royal Free and University College Medical School, London, United Kingdom; and Prostate Stem Cell Laboratory, Institute of Cancer Research (FA), Sutton, United Kingdom Correspondence and present address: Dr. David L. Hudson, Prostate Stem Cell Laboratory, Institute of Cancer Research, 15 Cotswold Road, Sutton SM2 5NG, UK. E-mail: david.hudson{at}icr.ac.uk
CD44 is a polymorphic transmembrane glycoprotein that binds hyaluronan and growth factors. Multiple isoforms of the protein can be generated by alternative splicing but little is known about the expression and function of these isoforms in normal development and differentiation. We have investigated the expression of CD44 during normal prostate epithelial cell differentiation. A conditionally immortalized prostate epithelial cell line, Pre2.8, was used as a model system. These cells proliferate at 33C but at 39C stop dividing and undergo changes consistent with early stages of cell differentiation. During the differentiation of these cells, the expression of the CD44 isoform v3-v10 was upregulated. Two layers of epithelial cells can clearly be distinguished in the human prostate, a basal layer expressing keratins 5/14 and a luminal layer expressing keratins 8/18. In prostate tissue the v3-v10 isoform was found predominantly in basal cells but also in keratin 14-negative, keratin 19-positive cells intermediate between the two layers. CD44 v3-v10 was also expressed in other keratin 14-negative prostate tissues, the ejaculatory ducts and prostatic urethra. Therefore, CD44 v3-v10 may be important as a cell surface marker for differentiating cells in the prostate epithelium. (J Histochem Cytochem 52:10831090, 2004)
Key Words: CD44 differentiation epithelium prostate
CD44 IS A TRANSMEMBRANE GLYCOPROTEIN that is widely expressed in virtually all cell types. It functions as an extracellular matrix receptor involved in cellcell and cellmatrix interactions and may also participate in growth regulation by presenting growth factors to their cell surface receptors (Lesley et al. 1993
CD44 has been implicated in a number of normal and disease processes, including intercellular adhesion and tumor metastasis. Normal human salivary gland was found to be negative for the v4/5 isoform but positive for variant exons v3 and v6, where they may be involved in the regulation of growth and renewal of the tissue (Fonseca et al. 2000
Expression of variant isoforms has been implicated in various human malignancies, including colorectal (Heider et al. 1993b
The aims of this study were to investigate the expression of CD44 and its isoforms during epithelial cell differentiation in the human prostate. We have developed a cell culture model of differentiation using human prostate epithelial cells isolated from a patient with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) (Daly-Burns et al. unpublished data). Primary cells were conditionally immortalized using a temperature-sensitive SV40 large T-antigen to produce the cell line Pre2.8. At the permissive temperature of 33C the cells are able to proliferate, but when switched to 39C proliferation ceases and the cells undergo morphological changes consistent with the early stages of differentiation. At the higher temperature there is an increase in cell size accompanied by decreased keratin (K) 14 and increased expression of K8, K19, and prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA), a marker for prostate epithelial transit-amplifying cells (Tran et al. 2002
Cell Line Culture The human prostate epithelial cell line Pre2.8 was maintained in PrEGM growth medium (Cambrex Bio Science; Wokingham, UK) at 33C in 5% CO2. The cells were grown in flasks pretreated with 10 µg/ml collagen (First Link UK; Birmingham, UK). Cells were maintained at 33C or transferred to 39C for 4, 7, 10, or 14 days before harvesting of RNA and protein extraction or fixation for immunocytochemistry.
Primary Culture of Human Prostate Epithelial Cells
RT-PCR
DNA Sequencing
Western Blotting Analysis
Immunohistochemistry
CD44 Isoforms Expressed by the Prostate Epithelial Cell Line Pre2.8 To determine which CD44 splice variants are expressed during the differentiation of Pre2.8 cells, RT-PCR was carried out on total RNA extracted from cells grown at permissive and non-permissive temperatures. A schematic diagram of the CD44 gene and the positions of the primers used for RT-PCR is shown in Figure 1A. Primers P1 and P2 were used to identify both standard and variant CD44 isoforms present. Multiple bands were produced at 33C and 39C, and Figure 1B shows a time course of 4, 7, 10, and 14 days after transfer to the higher temperature. All lanes show a band corresponding to the 549-bp standard form of the CD44 gene, which lacks all variable exons. Three further major CD44 isoforms are expressed at the two growth temperatures. However, there is an increase in the relative expression level of the largest isoform at the non-permissive temperature.
To identify the CD44 exons expressed in each isoform, exon-specific RT-PCR was also carried out using a primer located on the 5' side of the constant region (primer P1) together with a 3' primer for each of the variant exons v1-v10 (Figure 1C). From the number of bands per lane and the stepwise increase in band size, it is possible to determine which CD44 isoforms are expressed. No product was seen with the v1 primer but all other lanes contained one or more PCR products. The PCR product labeled (i) in Figure 1B appears to contain exons v2-v10, band (ii) exons v6-v10, and the band labeled (iii) exons v8-v10. Band (iv) represents the standard isoform of CD44. PCR products (i-iv) from cells grown at 33C or at 39C for 14 days, as well as BPH cell cultures, were sequenced and the composition of bands (ii), (iii), and (iv) confirmed, although the main band (ii) actually contains v3-v10 and not v2. There is therefore an additional minor band containing v2. A schematic of the main variant forms identified is shown in Figure 1A. Because variant exons v3-v5 were observed only in the largest band, v3-v10, we chose to use v5 as a marker and any positive staining for v5 will indicate cells expressing this isoform.
CD44 Protein Expression in Pre2.8 and BPH Cell Cultures
Cell Surface Expression of CD44 Protein During Differentiation of Pre2.8 Cells and in BPH Cell Cultures IHC was used to investigate the cell surface expression and distribution of CD44 in Pre2.8 cells. At 33C, when the cells are predominantly proliferative, weak expression of total CD44 protein is observed at cellcell boundaries (Figure 3A). Only occasional very weak inter-cellular staining for v5-containing isoforms was detected (Figure 3B), although there was strong staining in some cells that appear to be overlying other basal cells. When the cells are switched to the non-permissive temperature of 39C, the increase in cell size is accompanied by an increase in total CD44 protein expression, with strong intercellular staining of almost all cells (Figure 3C). Strong expression of v5 is now detected at cellcell borders, indicating that at least some of the newly expressed CD44 consists of the v3-v10-containing isoform (Figure 3D). Primary cultures of BPH epithelial cells consist of a mixed population of cells at various stages of the differentiation process. Total CD44 is expressed on the surface of the majority of cells, while the strongest expression of CD44v5 is by a minority of cells that, again, are overlying other cells (Figures 3E and 3F).
CD44 Expression in Prostate Tissue To confirm that the CD44 isoforms expressed by prostate cells were also expressed in prostate tissue, RNA was isolated from fresh samples of BPH and normal prostate. DNA sequencing of RT-PCR products revealed the same pattern of isoform expression as found in the cell cultures. We therefore examined tissues for the distribution of the major v3-v10 isoform. Because exons v3, v4 and v5 will be found only where the v3-v10 isoform is expressed, an antibody to v5 was used as a marker. Eight BPH samples were stained for K14, K19, and CD44 v5 and the sections were scored for distribution of staining. A typical example of the pattern of double staining for K14 and CD44 v5 is shown in Figure 3. Positive staining for CD44 v5 was observed in all eight samples and in many areas was co-expressed with K14 in basal epithelial cells. CD44 v5 was expressed in basal cells that were negative for K14 in all samples (example shown in Figure 3G). Interestingly, CD44 v5 was also expressed in epithelial cells located in an intermediate position above the basal layer but below the luminal layer (Figure 3G). These cells are taller than the K14 positive basal cells and appear to be leaving the basal layer. This expression pattern is almost identical to that observed previously (Hudson et al. 2001 To confirm that the staining patterns were not due to aberrant growth of cells in BPH, a further six tissue samples were obtained from tissues collected from young male cadavers. Alternating staining patterns for CD44v5 and K14 were found in all cases and in all three glandular zones, central, peripheral, and transition. In both BPH and normal tissue there were areas of basal cell hyperplasia with multiple K14-negative cell layers expressing high levels of CD44 v5 (Figures 3I and 3J). Some cases showed small areas of CD44v5-negative, K14-positive basal cells (Figure 3I), whereas others did not express K14 (Figure 3J). In all cases a single luminal layer could be distinguished overlying the CD44v5-positive cells. Other K14-negative prostate-associated epithelial tissues also revealed interesting staining patterns. Ejaculatory ducts within the prostate showed strong basal staining for both CD44v5 (Figure 3K) and K19 (Figure 3L), while prostatic urethra stained strongly in all but the outermost cell layer for CD44v5 (Figure 3M, arrowheads) and in all layers for K19 (Figure 3N). Proximal prostatic ducts, adjacent to the urethra, are colonized by the transitional epithelium, composed of several layers of basal cells and a single layer of larger luminal cells (umbrella cells). In these regions CD44v5 is detected in all cells except the luminal cells (Figure 3O, arrowheads), while K19 is expressed by most cells. In areas where there are only two layers, K19 stains only the basal cells (Figure 3N, upper left). The distribution of the CD44 variant isoforms was further examined by staining the normal tissues with antibodies to CD44v3, v6, v7/8, and v10. Anti-v10 failed to stain at cellcell boundaries in any of the tissues with high background nuclear staining. The other three antibodies, however, had staining patterns similar to that seen for CD44v5. K14-positive CD44-negative cells were found with all the antibodies, implying that all variant isoforms are preferentially expressed by more differentiated K14-negative basal cells.
The prostate is the most common site of benign and malignant neoplastic disease in the human male. Both prostate cancer and BPH are disorders of cell differentiation and proliferation. Epithelial differentiation pathways have been postulated by several investigators (Isaacs and Coffey 1989
CD44 has been implicated in the progression of many types of tumor, including prostate cancer. However, little has been documented about the distribution of the CD44 variant isoforms in non-malignant human prostate tissue (Heider et al. 1995 Although sequencing of RT-PCR products revealed that the CD44 variants expressed by the cells at the two temperatures were all of equal size, an apparent shift in molecular weight was observed by Western blotting analysis. This may be due to differences in the posttranslational modification of the CD44 protein. CD44 contains a number of N- and O-linked glycosylation sites, all of which contribute to further diversity in protein expression. Our results show that the isoforms expressed by Pre2.8 cells grown at the non-permissive temperature have an increased electrophoretic mobility, and therefore a lower molecular mass, compared with those grown at 33C and with the primary BPH cultures. This difference may be the result of reduced glycosylation of the CD44 variants, perhaps caused by aberrant activity of glycosylation enzymes at 39C.
Our in vitro studies suggested that the CD44 v3-v10 isoform might play a role in the differentiation of normal prostate epithelial cells. On switching to the non-proliferative temperature, upregulation of differentiation-associated markers such as keratin 8, p21, and prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA) occurs (Daly-Burns et al. unpublished data). To confirm whether the v5-containing CD44 isoform may also play a role in vivo, we looked at the expression of the v5-containing variant in prostate tissue specimens. Consistent with reports that CD44 isoforms are expressed by the proliferating compartments of epithelia, positive staining for CD44 v5 was seen in basal epithelial cells in BPH tissues (Mackay et al. 1994
The expression of CD44 isoforms appears to be cell type-specific. For example, it has been reported that normal pancreatic tissue expresses CD44 variants v3, v6, and v6-10, whereas in pancreatic carcinomas additional splice variants containing exon v5 are detected (Gansauge et al. 1995
These results provide evidence, of early differentiation-associated changes in CD44 expression during normal prostate epithelial cell differentiation. Little is known of the transition between basal and luminal cells in the prostate, and the findings indicate that the CD44 v3-v10- containing isoform may be a marker for the early stages of this differentiation process. CD44 has been used as a target for separating basal from luminal prostate cells using immunomagnetic bead-based cell sorting (Collins et al. 2001
Supported by the Wellcome Trust (TA and DH, grant 062869), the US National Institutes of Health (JRM, RO1 AG14960), the European Association of Urologists (IL), and the Bob Champion Cancer Trust (FB and DH). We thank Clare Isacke and Birgitte Lane for kind gifts of antibodies.
Received for publication January 14, 2004; accepted March 23, 2004
Bonkhoff H, Remberger K (1996) Differentiation pathways and histogenetic aspects of normal and abnormal prostatic growth: a stem cell model. Prostate 28:98106[CrossRef][Medline] Brown TA, Bouchard T, St John T, Wayner E, Carter WG (1991) Human keratinocytes express a new CD44 core protein (CD44E) as a heparan-sulfate intrinsic membrane proteoglycan with additional exons. J Cell Biol 113:207221 Collins AT, Habib FK, Maitland NJ, Neal DE (2001) Identification and isolation of human prostate epithelial stem cells based on alpha(2)beta(1)-integrin expression. J Cell Sci 114:38653872 De Marzo AM, Meeker AK, Epstein JI, Coffey DS (1998) Prostate stem cell compartments: expression of the cell cycle inhibotor p27 kip1 in normal, hyperplastic and neoplastic cells. Am J Pathol 153:911919 Fonseca I, Moura Nunes JF, Soares J (2000) Expression of CD44 isoforms in normal salivary gland tissue: an immunohistochemical and ultrastructural study. Histochem Cell Biol 114:483488[Medline] Gansauge F, Gansauge S, Zobywalski A, Scharnweber C, Link KH, Nussler AK, Beger HG (1995) Differential expression of CD44 splice variants in human pancreatic adenocarcinoma and in normal pancreas. Cancer Res 55:54995503 Gunthert U, Hofmann M, Rudy W, Reber S, Zoller M, Haussmann I, Matzku S, et al. (1991) A new variant of glycoprotein CD44 confers metastatic potential to rat carcinoma cells. Cell 65:1324[CrossRef][Medline] Heider KH, Dammrich J, Skroch Angel P, Muller Hermelink HK, Vollmers HP, Herrlich P, Ponta H (1993a) Differential expression of CD44 splice variants in intestinal- and diffuse-type human gastric carcinomas and normal gastric mucosa. Cancer Res 53:41974203 Heider KH, Hofmann M, Hors E, van den Berg F, Ponta H, Herrlich P, Pals ST (1993b) A human homologue of the rat metastasis-associated variant of CD44 is expressed in colorectal carcinomas and adenomatous polyps. J Cell Biol 120:227233 Heider KH, Mulder JWR, Ostermann E, Susani S, Pazelt E, Pals ST, Adolf GR (1995) Splice variants of the cell surface glycoprotein CD44 associated with metastatic tumour cells are expressed in normal tissues of humans and cynomolgus monkeys. Eur J Cancer 31A:23852911 Hudson DL, Guy AT, Fry PM, O'Hare MJ, Watt FM, Masters JRW (2001) Epithelial differentiation pathways in the human prostate: identification of intermediate phenotypes by keratin expression. J Histochem Cytochem 49:271278 Hudson DL, O'Hare MJ, Watt FM, Masters JRW (2000) Proliferative heterogeneity in the human prostate: evidence for epithelial stem cells. Lab Invest 80:12431250[Medline] Hudson DL, Sleeman J, Watt FM (1995) CD44 is the major peanut lectin-binding glycoprotein of human epidermal keratinocytes and plays a role in intercellular adhesion. J Cell Sci 108:19591970[Abstract] Hudson DL, Speight PM, Watt FM (1996) Altered expression of CD44 isoforms in squamous-cell carcinomas and cell lines derived from them. Int J Cancer 66:457463[CrossRef][Medline] Iczkowski KA, Bai S, Pantazis CG (2003) Prostate cancer overexpresses CD44 variants 79 at the messenger RNA and protein level. Anticancer Res 23:31293140[Medline] Isaacs JT, Coffey DS (1989) Etiology and disease process of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Prostate Suppl 2:3350[Medline] Isacke CM, Sauvage CA, Hyman R, Lesley J, Schulte R, Trowbridge IS (1986) Identification and characterization of the human Pgp-1 glycoprotein. Immunogenetics 23:326332[CrossRef][Medline] Isacke CM, van der Geer P, Hunter T, Trowbridge IS (1990) p180, a novel recycling transmembrane glycoprotein with restricted cell type expression. Mol Cell Biol 10:26062618 Kallakury BV, Sheehan CE, Ambros RA, Fisher HA, Kaufman RP, Muraca PJ, Ross JS (1998) Correlation of p34cdc2 cyclin-dependent kinase overexpression, CD44s downregulation, and HER-2/neu oncogene amplification with recurrence in prostatic adenocarcinomas. J Clin Oncol 16:13021309 Koopman G, Heider KH, Horst E, Adolf GR, van den Berg F, Ponta H, Herrlich P, et al. (1993) Activated human lymphocytes and aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphomas express a homologue of the rat metastasis-associated variant of CD44. J Exp Med 177:897904 Lesley J, Hyman R, Kincade PW (1993) CD44 and its interaction with extracellular matrix. Adv Immunol 54:271335[Medline] Mackay CR, Terpe HJ, Stauder R, Marston WL, Stark H, Gunthert U (1994) Expression and modulation of CD44 variant isoforms in humans. J Cell Biol 124:7182 Matsumura Y, Tarin D (1992) Significance of CD44 gene products for cancer diagnosis and disease evaluation. Lancet 340:10531058[CrossRef][Medline] Nagabhushan M, Pretlow TG, Guo YJ, Amini SB, Pretlow TP, Sy MS (1996) Altered expression of CD44 in human prostate cancer during progression. Am J Clin Pathol 106:647651[Medline] Noordzij MA, van Steenbrugge GJ, Schroder FH, Van der Kwast TH (1999) Decreased expression of CD44 in metastatic prostate cancer. Int J Cancer 84:478483[CrossRef][Medline] Noordzij MA, van Steenbrugge GJ, Verkaik NS, Schroder FH, van der Kwast TH (1997) The prognostic value of CD44 isoforms in prostate cancer patients treated by radical prostatectomy. Clin Cancer Res 3:805815[Abstract] Purkis PE, Steel JB, Mackenzie IC, Nathrath WB, Leigh IM, Lane EB (1990) Antibody markers of basal cells in complex epithelia. J Cell Sci 97:3950 Screaton GR, Bell MV, Bell JI, Jackson DG (1993) The identification of a new alternative exon with highly restricted tissue expression in transcripts encoding the mouse Pgp-1 (CD44) homing receptor. Comparison of all 10 variable exons between mouse, human, and rat. J Biol Chem 268:1223512238 Screaton GR, Bell MV, Jackson DG, Cornelis FB, Gerth U, Bell JI (1992) Genomic structure of DNA encoding the lymphocyte homing receptor CD44 reveals at least 12 alternatively spliced exons. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 89:1216012164 Stamenkovic I, Amiot M, Pesando JM, Seed B (1989) A lymphocyte molecule implicated in lymph node homing is a member of the cartilage link protein family. Cell 56:10571062[CrossRef][Medline] Stasiak PC, Purkis PE, Leigh IM, Lane EB (1989) Keratin 19: predicted amino acid sequence and broad tissue distribution suggest it evolved from keratinocyte keratins. J Invest Dermatol 92:707716[CrossRef][Medline] Tolg C, Hofmann M, Herrlich P, Ponta H (1993) Splicing choice from ten variant exons establishes CD44 variability. Nucleic Acids Res 21:12251229 Tran CP, Lin C, Yamashiro J, Reiter RE (2002) Prostate stem cell antigen is a marker of late intermediate prostate epithelial cells. Mol Cancer Res 1:113121 van der Voort R, Taher TEI, Wielenga VJM, Spaargaren M, Prevo R, Smit L, et al. (1999) Heparan sulfate-modified CD44 promotes hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor-induced signal transduction through the receptor tyrosine kinase c-Met. J Biol Chem 274:64996506 van Leenders G, Dijkman H, Hulsbergen-van de Kaa C, Ruiter D, Schalken J (2000) Demonstration of intermediate cells during human prostate epithelial differentiation in situ and in vitro using triple-staining confocal scanning microscopy. Lab Invest 80:12511258[Medline] van Leenders G, van Balken B, Aalders T, Hulsbergen-van de Kaa C, Ruiter D, Schalken J (2002) Intermediate cells in normal and malignant prostate epithelium express C-MET: implications for prostate cancer invasion. Prostate 51:98107[CrossRef][Medline]
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||