Slug Is A Surrogate Marker of Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) in Head and Neck Cancer

T. B. Steinbichler; J. Dudas; J. Ingruber; R. Glueckert; S. Sprung; F. Fleischer; N. Cidlinsky; D. Dejaco; B. Kofler; A. I. Giotakis; I. I. Skvortsova; H. Riechelmann

doi:10.3390/jcm9072061

Journal of Clinical Medicine (Jun 2020)

Slug Is A Surrogate Marker of Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) in Head and Neck Cancer

T. B. Steinbichler,
J. Dudas,
J. Ingruber,
R. Glueckert,
S. Sprung,
F. Fleischer,
N. Cidlinsky,
D. Dejaco,
B. Kofler,
A. I. Giotakis,
I. I. Skvortsova,
H. Riechelmann

Affiliations

T. B. Steinbichler: Department for Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck surgery, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
J. Dudas: Department for Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck surgery, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
J. Ingruber: Department for Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck surgery, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
R. Glueckert: Department for Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck surgery, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
S. Sprung: Institute of Pathology, Neuropathology and Molecular Pathology, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
F. Fleischer: Department for Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck surgery, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
N. Cidlinsky: Department for Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck surgery, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
D. Dejaco: Department for Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck surgery, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
B. Kofler: Department for Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck surgery, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
A. I. Giotakis: Department for Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck surgery, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
I. I. Skvortsova: Department of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, Medical University of Innsbruck; 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
H. Riechelmann: Department for Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck surgery, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm9072061
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 9, no. 7
p. 2061

Abstract

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Background: Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) promotes therapy resistance in head and neck cancer (HNC) cells. In this study, EMT was quantified in HNC tumor samples by the cellular co-localization of cytokeratin/vimentin, E-cadherin/β-catenin and by Slug expression. Methods: Tissue samples from HNC patients were stained with antibody pairs against cytokeratin/vimentin and E-cadherin/β-catenin. Epithelial–mesenchymal co-localization was quantified using immunofluorescence multichannel image cytometry. Double positivity was confirmed using confocal microscopy. Slug was semi-quantified by 2 specialists and quantified by bright field image cytometry. Results: Tumor samples of 102 patients were investigated. A loss of E-cadherin positive cells (56.9 ± 2.6% vs. 97.9 ± 1.0%; p p p = 0.001). Ordinal Slug scores judged by two specialists closely correlated with percentage of Slug-positive cells (Spearman’s rho = 0.81; p p = 0.006), the percentage of E-cadherin/β-catenin positive cells (r = 0.5; p = 0.001) and positively with cytokeratin/vimentin positive cells (r = 0.4, p = 0.003). Conclusion: EMT can be assessed in HNC tumor probes by cytokeratin/vimentin co-expression and loss of E-cadherin/β-catenin co-expression. Slug score provides a convenient surrogate marker for EMT.

Published in Journal of Clinical Medicine

ISSN: 2077-0383 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Medicine
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/jcm

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