Expression of prostate-specific membrane antigen in lung cancer cells and tumor neovasculature endothelial cells and its clinical significance

PLoS One. 2015 May 15;10(5):e0125924. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0125924. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Background: Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) has been found in tumor neovasculature endothelial cells (NECs) of non-prostate cancers and may become the most promising target for anti-tumor therapy. To study the value of PSMA as a potential new target for lung cancer treatment, PSMA expression in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC) tissues and its relationship with clinicopathology were investigated in the current study.

Methods: Immunohistochemistry was used to detect PSMA expression in a total of 150 lung specimens of patients with lung cancer. The data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate statistical analyses.

Results: The percentages of NSCLC patients who had PSMA (+) tumor cells and PSMA (+) NECs were 54.02% and 85.06%, respectively. The percentage of patients younger than 60 years old who had PSMA (+) tumor cells was 69.05%, which was significantly greater than the percentage of patients aged 60 years or older (40.00%, p<0.05). A significant difference was observed in the percentage of NSCLC patients with PMSA (+) NECs and stage I or II cancer (92.98%) and those patients with stage III or IV cancer (76.77%). In the SCLC tissues, NEC PSMA expression (70.00%) did not differ significantly from NSCLC. SCLC tumor cells and normal lung tissues cells were all negative. There was no significant correlation between the presence of PSMA (+) NECs in SCLC patients and the observed clinicopathological parameters.

Conclusions: PSMA is expressed not only in NECs of NSCLC and SCLC but also in tumor cells of most NSCLC patients. The presence of PSMA (+) tumor cells and PSMA (+) NECs in NSCLC was negatively correlated with age and the clinicopathological stage of the patients, respectively.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Antigens, Surface / genetics*
  • Antigens, Surface / metabolism
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / metabolism
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / pathology*
  • Endothelial Cells / metabolism*
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic*
  • Glutamate Carboxypeptidase II / genetics*
  • Glutamate Carboxypeptidase II / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Lung / metabolism
  • Lung / pathology
  • Lung Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Lung Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasm Staging
  • Neovascularization, Pathologic
  • Small Cell Lung Carcinoma / metabolism
  • Small Cell Lung Carcinoma / pathology*

Substances

  • Antigens, Surface
  • FOLH1 protein, human
  • Glutamate Carboxypeptidase II

Grants and funding

The design and conduct of this research was funded by Hai-long Wang, the host of the Project of Binhai New Area Bureau of Health of Tianjin, China (2012BWKZ006), and Xiao-nan Cui, the host of the China Scholarship Council and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81173615). Hai-long Wang is the first author of this manuscript who designed the study, performed the experiments, contributed to data analysis, and was also responsible for writing the manuscript. Xiao-nan Cui is one of the corresponding authors who conceived the study, participated in its design and coordination, and helped to draft the manuscript.