Expression and significance of the polar regulation-associated protein in cholangiocarcinoma

Objective： To investigate the expressions of atypical protein kinase C = subtype （aPKC-I and E-cadherin in cholangiocarcinoma, and analyze molecular mechanisms of the invasion and metastasis of cholangiocarcinoma. Methods： The expressions of aPKC-I nd E-cadherin in 9 specimens of benign bile duct tissues and 35 specimens of cholangiocarcinoma were detected by EnVision immunohistochemistry, and their correlations to the clinicopathologic characteristics and invasion of cholangiocarcinoma were analyzed. Results： The positive rate of aPKC-I was significantly higher in cholangiocarcinoma than in benign bile duct tissues （68.6% vs. 11.1%, P = 0.006）, while the positive rate of E-cadherin was significantly lower in cholangiocarcinoma than in benign bile duct tissues （37.1% vs. 88.9%, P = 0.016）. aPKC-I expression was negatively correlated to E-cadherin expression （r = -0.287, P 〈 0.05）. aPKC-I expression was positively and E-cadherin expression was negatively correlated to the differentiation and invasion of cholangiocarcinoma （P 〈 0.05）. Conclusion： The expressions of aPKC-I and E-cadherin may reflect the differentiation and invasive potential of cholangiocarcinoma. As a polar regulation-associated protein, aPKC-I may play an important role in the invasion and metastasis of cholangiocarcinoma.

Correlation of aPKC-ι and E-cadherin expression with invasion and prognosis of cholangiocarcinoma

BACKGROUND: The abnormal expression of atypical protein kinase C-ι (aPKC-ι) subtype and E-cadherin play important roles in tumor occurrence and progression This study was designed to investigate the correlation of expression of aPKC-ι and E-cadherin with the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of cholangiocarcinoma, and to analyze the molecular mechanisms of invasion and metastasis of the tumor. METHODS: EnVision immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of aPKC-ι and E-cadherin in 9 specimens of benign bile duct tissues, 35 specimens of cholangiocarcinoma and 6 specimens of metastatic cholangiocarcinoma. The relationship of the expression with clinicopathological characteristics, invasion and prognosis of cholangiocarcinoma was analyzed. A multivariate regression analysis was made of these data by the Cox proportional hazard model. RESULTS: The positive expression level of aPKC-ι in cholangiocarcinoma was remarkably higher than that in benign bile duct tissues (68.6% vs. 11.1%, P=0.006) but the expression level of E-cadherin was lower in cholangiocarcinoma than in benign bile duct tissues (37.1% vs. 88.9%, P=0.016). Correlation analysis revealed that the expression of aPKC-ι was positively related to tumor differentiation and invasion, whereas that of E-cadherin was entirely the contrary. Moreover, there wasa negative relationship between the expression of aPKC-ι and that of E-cadherin (r=-0.287, P<0.05). Univariate analysis showed that the overall survival rate of the group with a higher expression of aPKC-ι in cholangiocarcinoma was remarkably lower than that of the group with a lower expression (P<0.01); multivariate analysis revealed that the expressions of aPKC-ι and E-cadherin are important prognostic factors for cholangiocarcinoma (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The expressions of aPKC-ι and E-cadherin may reflect the differentiation and invasive potential of cholangiocarcinoma. aPKC-ι and E-cadherin may be independent prognostic factors and, when used in combination with clinicopathological characteristics, may increase the accuracy in predicting the prognosis of patients with cholangiocarcinoma. As a polar regulative associated protein, aPKC-ι may play an important role in the invasion and metastasis of cholangiocarcinoma.