Expression of estrogen receptors, androgen receptor and steroid receptor coactivator-3 is negatively correlated to the differentiation of astrocytic tumors

• Published in: Cancer epidemiology Vol. 38; no. 3; pp. 291 - 297
• Main Authors: Liu, Chang, Zhang, Yanlei, Zhang, Kaiyuan, Bian, Chen, Zhao, Yangang, Zhang, Jiqiang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Ltd 01.06.2014; Elsevier; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Adult; Age Factors; Analysis. Health state; Androgen receptor; Astrocytomas; Biological and medical sciences; Brain cancer; Brain Neoplasms - metabolism; Brain Neoplasms - pathology; Cancer; Case-Control Studies; Cell Differentiation - physiology; Epidemiology; Estrogen receptor; Estrogen Receptor alpha - biosynthesis; Female; General aspects; Glioblastoma; Glioblastoma - metabolism; Glioblastoma - pathology; Hematology, Oncology and Palliative Medicine; Humans; Internal Medicine; Male; Medical sciences; Neoplasm Grading; Nuclear Receptor Coactivator 1 - biosynthesis; Nuclear Receptor Coactivator 3 - biosynthesis; Paraffin Embedding; Prognosis; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Receptors, Androgen - biosynthesis; Sex Factors; Steroid receptor coactivator-1; Steroid receptor coactivator-3; Studies; Tumors; Estrogen receptor; Astrocytomas; Steroid receptor coactivator-3; Glioblastoma; Androgen receptor; Steroid receptor coactivator-1; Steroid; Nervous system diseases; Estrogen; Malignant tumor; Cell differentiation; Ovarian hormone; Malignant glioma; Malignant astrocytoma; Central nervous system disease; Sex steroid hormone; Differentiation; Cancer; Biological receptor; Hormonal receptor
• ISSN: 1877-7821; 1877-783X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.canep.2014.03.001

Abstract Astrocytic tumors are the most common primary brain tumors. It has been reported that androgen receptor (AR), estrogen receptors alpha (ERα) and beta (ERβ) and their coactivator SRC-1 and SRC-3 are involved in the regulation of the growth and development of many tumors, but their expression profiles and significances in the astrocytic tumors remain largely unknown. In this study, the expression of AR, ERs, and SRCs, and the possible roles of them in astrocytic neoplasm were evaluated and compared to normal brain tissues by nickel-intensified immunohistochemistry with tissue microarrays. The results showed that there were no age- or gender-differences regarding to the levels of these receptors or coactivators in astrocytic or normal brain tissues. In the high-grade astrocytic tissue, the levels of AR, ERs and SRC-3 were significantly decreased when compared to the low-grade astrocytic tissues, but the levels of SRC-1 remain unchanged. Correlation analysis revealed that the levels of AR, ERs and SRC-3 were negatively correlated to tumor differentiation, and the levels of SRC-3 were positively correlated to that of ERα. Furthermore, the decreased levels of SRC-3 were associated with an increase of ERβ in astrocytic tumors when compared to that of normal brain tissues. These above results indicate a combination of decreased expression of ERs, AR and SRC-3 but not SRC-1 may be involved in the tumorigenesis of gliomas, ERα/SRC-3 axis may play central role in the regulation these tumors.