[1059] Coordinate Expression of MUC4 and Palladin in Ovarian Epithelial Neoplasia: Role in Disease Progression

MP Ponnusamy, R Nelson, S Chakraborty, R Miller, SM Lele, SK Batra. University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE

Background: MUC4, a membrane glycoprotein, alters actin-cytoskeleton proteins and is involved in ovarian carcinoma cell motility. One such cytoskeleton protein, palladin, is involved in actin-cytoskeleton reorganization and cancer cell motility. Coordinate expression of MUC4 and palladin in ovarian benign, borderline and malignant epithelial tumors has not been previously published and is examined in this study.
Design: Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded ovarian tissue array samples (normal, benign, borderline and malignant) from serous, mucinous, endometrioid, transitional and clear cell tumors (n=38) were analyzed. Immunostaining was performed using anti-MUC4 (monoclonal, prepared in our laboratory) and anti-palladin (polyclonal, Protein Tech Group, Chicago) antibodies. The expression was assessed using the H-score (summation of the product of staining intensity and proportion of cells staining). The mean H-scores were compared between the different groups by applying the F-test and the Welch test (assuming unequal variances).
Results: The H-score for MUC4 expression was significantly higher in benign, borderline and malignant ovarian epithelial tumors as compared to normal ovarian epithelium (p<0.001). Further, MUC4 expression was higher in malignant tumors as compared to benign tumors (p=0.03). Palladin expression was significantly higher in benign ovarian tumors than in normal ovarian epithelium (p<0.001). The H-score for palladin expression was significantly higher in borderline and malignant ovarian tumors as compared to benign tumors (p<0.001). There was no correlation with histopathologic subtype.
Conclusions: Increased expresion of MUC4 in malignant ovarian epithelial tumors may suggest a role for this protein in disease progression and as a novel chemotherapeutic target for ovarian carcinoma. Progressive increase in expression of palladin in ovarian epithelial tumors (normal<benign<borderline<malignant) may suggest a role as a diagnostic marker for disease progression.
Category: Gynecologic

Wednesday, March 11, 2009 9:30 AM

Poster Session V # 154, Wednesday Morning