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CANCER STEM CELLS |
aCentre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology, Queen's University, Belfast, United Kingdom;
bDepartment of Pathology and
cNorthern Ireland Regional Department of Thoracic Surgery, Royal Group of Hospitals Trust, Belfast, United Kingdom
Key Words. Erythropoietin receptor • Non-small cell lung carcinoma • C20 Antibody • Heat shock proteins
Correspondence: Perry Maxwell, Ph.D., Department of Pathology, Institute of Pathology, Royal Group of Hospitals Trust, Grosvenor Road, Belfast BT12 6BA, United Kingdom. Telephone: +44 2890635074; Fax: +44 2890632763; e-mail: p.maxwell{at}qub.ac.uk
Received October 26, 2006;
accepted for publication November 8, 2006.
First published online in STEM CELLS EXPRESS November 16, 2006.
| ABSTRACT |
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| INTRODUCTION |
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The first report of EPO and EPOR expression in neoplasia was in clear and chromophilic cell renal carcinoma [2]. Their combined occurrence was also reported to be present in ductal carcinoma of the breast but absent in normal ductal epithelium and in benign pathologies, such as hyperplasia of usual type, ductal papilloma, fibrocystic change [3], and sclerosing adenosis [4]. Expression of EPOR has also been claimed in melanoma [5] and cervical squamous [6], papillary thyroid [7], endometrial [8], and head and neck squamous [9] carcinomas and numerous tumor cell lines [10, 11].
Many cancer patients suffer from anemia, and recombinant human EPO (rHuEPO) is now widely used therapeutically, as it improves hematocrit, lowers transfusion requirements, and improves quality of life. Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents ameliorate chemotherapy-associated anemia and are recommended in guidelines issued by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network as treatment options for patients with cancer, cited in LaMontagne et al. [12].
Normal erythropoiesis is dependent on basal levels of secreted EPO, which are equivalent to 0.8–4.0 pmoles/l of EPO (5–25 U/l) in plasma. The widespread practice of treating cancer patients with rHuEPO has raised concerns about the possible modulation of tumor growth from pharmacological doses of EPO that result in plasma concentrations several logs higher than the normal physiological level. Indeed, a study of the effects of EPO in anemic head and neck cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy indicated poorer locoregional progression-free survival in those treated with EPO [13]. The Breast Cancer Erythropoietin Survival Trial (BEST), which used overall survival as the study endpoint, was halted early because of unacceptably high mortality in the EPO treatment group [14]. This sets in context the need for specific tools for the detection of EPOR in malignancy.
Reports of EPOR expression in cancer rely heavily on the use of anti-EPOR antibodies in immunostaining and immunoblotting. In particular, anti-EPOR antibodies from Santa Cruz Biotechnology (C20; catalog number SC-695; Santa Cruz, CA, http://www.scbt.com/) that recognize the last 20 amino acids of the receptor have been used in most of the reported studies (Table 1). Recently, Elliott et al. [15] reported that C20 fails to detect peptides at the calculated molecular weight of mature EPOR (59 kDa), but does detect peptides at 35, 66, and 100 kDa. They found that the 66-kDa band represents heat shock proteins (HSPs) and that binding of the C20 antibody was abolished by two synthetic peptides based on the sequence of HSP70. Clearly, confirmation of this report would call into question the immunohistochemical findings often cited as evidence for the occurrence of EPOR in neoplasia. Utilizing the C20 antibody, Dagnon et al. [16], examined samples from 29 patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) and detected EPOR in 28 (96%) by immunohistochemistry. Similarly, in a cohort of 66 patients with histopathologically confirmed NSCLC, we detected positive immunoreactivity to EPOR in all cases with the same antibody (unpublished data). In the light of the report by Elliott et al, we decided to investigate the specificity of the C20 antibody for detection of EPOR in NSCLC. Consequently, we used tissue microarrays (TMAs) to determine whether the two peptides, HSP70-2 and HSP70-5, can affect C20 binding to formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue both with and without heat-mediated antigen retrieval (HMAR). In addition, to investigate the assertion that C20 cannot detect EPOR at 59 kDa [15], Western blotting analysis of protein lysates from three different cell lines using C20 as primary antibody was performed.
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| MATERIALS AND METHODS |
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Heat Shock Peptides
Both heat shock peptide sequences identified by Elliott et al. [15] were synthesized in the Protein and Peptide Chemistry Laboratory at Cancer Research U.K. (London, United Kingdom). They were purified by high-performance liquid chromatography and supplied as lyophilized powder, which was dissolved in 50 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.2) and 150 mM NaCl (TBS) to a final concentration of 5 mg/ml. The sequence of HSP70-2 was QQGRVEILANDQGNRTTPSYVAFTDTER and of HSP70-5 was EIIANDQGNRITPSYVAFTPEGERLIGDAA.
Immunohistochemistry
C20 antibody was used for immunohistochemistry. C20 (2 µg/ml) was incubated at 4°C overnight with peptide 1 or 2 (5 mg/ml), a mix of both peptides (5 mg/ml), or TBS as control. Eight T-CL-1 slides were divided into two groups of four. One group was subjected to HMAR, whereas the other was not. All other details of the protocol were identical. Slides were deparaffinized using xylene and, depending on group, were microwaved for 22 minutes in 0.01 M citrate buffer (pH 6.0) for antigen retrieval. The slides were overlaid with the antibody/peptide mix and localized using an Envision peroxidase system (DAKO, Glostrup, Denmark, http://www.dako.com). All sections were counterstained in hematoxylin.
Cell Culture
The OCIM-1 cell line was grown in Iscove's Dulbecco's minimal essential medium (MEM). The UT-7 cells were cultivated in the alpha modification of MEM supplemented with 2 ng/ml granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor. The MCF-7 cell line was grown in Dulbecco's MEM containing 4.5 g/l glucose. All media contained 10% fetal calf serum and penicillin/streptomycin (100 µg/ml).
Western Blots
Cells (2 x 106) from each line were lysed using radioimmunoprecipitation assay buffer with protease inhibitors (Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Mannheim, Germany, http://www.roche-diagnostics.com/) followed by sonication and centrifugation. Total protein was estimated using the Pierce BCA Protein assay kit (Pierce, Rockford, IL, http://www.piercenet.com/). Protein (25 µg) from each line was added to 3x Laemmli buffer, boiled before loading onto three individual Bis-Tris gels (4%–12%; Invitrogen, Paisley, United Kingdom, http://www.invitrogen.com), and subjected to sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by blotting onto polyvinylidene fluoride membranes (Invitrogen). C20 antibody (1:1,000, 5 µl) was preincubated overnight at 4°C with either HSP70-2, HSP70-5 (5 mg/ml, 5 ml), or TBS (5 ml) as control. The blots were incubated at room temperature for 1 hour with one of the three mixes, washed with TBS/Tween, and detected using horseradish peroxidase-conjugated anti-rabbit antibody at 1:2,000 (Dakocytomation, Glostrup, Denmark, http://www.dako.com/) for 1 hour at room temperature. The membranes were washed, and proteins were visualized using the ECL plus Western Blotting Detection System (Amersham, Little Chalfont, United Kingdom, http://www.amersham.com/). To assess uniform protein loading, the membranes were stripped using methanol and washed and probed for pan-actin expression (Cell Signaling Technology. Inc., Danvers, MA, http://www.cellsignal.com/). The membranes were then washed and proteins visualized using SuperSignal West Dura (Pierce).
| RESULTS |
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Positive cytoplasmic and membranous immunoreactivity by the unabsorbed C20 polyclonal antibody was seen in FFPE tissue only when pretreated by HMAR (Fig. 1A). Nontumor components also showed staining. Positive immunoreactivity within plasma cell cytoplasm, sparing the perinuclear hof region, was observed, whereas bronchial respiratory epithelium showed cilial staining, in stark contrast to the lack of staining in adjacent areas of immature squamous metaplasia.
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Using MCF-7, UT-7, and OCIM-1 (which shows high expression of EPOR), we found a clear gradation of intensity, suggesting that C20 does indeed detect EPOR with the ability to discriminate between medium and high levels of expression. This conclusion is also in agreement with sequencing data presented by Elliott et al. [15], which indicate the presence of EPOR in the 59-kDa band. Both studies concur that a further band is present at 100 kDa, but we have been unable to detect the band found by Elliott et al. at 35 kDa [15].
| CONCLUSION |
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Many questions remain regarding the significance of the EPOR in the context of in vivo tumors of different types and their response to rHuEPO. The use of rHuEPO to treat anemia in cancer patients is now common practice, and the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer has recently issued guidelines for the use of erythropoietic proteins in such patients [17]. Given the potential implications for this therapeutic approach, more specific tools for detection of EPOR in FFPE tissue are urgently required.
| DISCLOSURES |
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| ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
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| REFERENCES |
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