Expression of the Sodium/Iodide Symporter in Human Prostate Adenocarcinoma

Navarra, Michele; Micali, Salvatore; Lepore, Saverio M.; Cesinaro, Anna Maria; Celano, Marilena; Sighinolfi, Maria C.; De Gaetani, Carmela; Filetti, Sebastiano; Bianchi, Giampaolo; Russo, Diego

doi:10.1016/j.urology.2009.10.011

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Volume 75, Issue 4 , Pages 773-778, April 2010

Expression of the Sodium/Iodide Symporter in Human Prostate Adenocarcinoma

Michele Navarra
- Pharmaco-Biological Department, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
Salvatore Micali
- Department of Urology, University of Modena, Modena, Italy
Saverio M. Lepore
- Department of Pharmacobiological Sciences, University of Catanzaro “Magna Græcia,” Catanzaro, Italy
Anna Maria Cesinaro
- Department of Pathology, University of Modena, Modena, Italy
Marilena Celano
- Department of Pharmacobiological Sciences, University of Catanzaro “Magna Græcia,” Catanzaro, Italy
Maria C. Sighinolfi
- Department of Urology, University of Modena, Modena, Italy
Carmela De Gaetani
- Department of Pathology, University of Modena, Modena, Italy
Sebastiano Filetti
- Department of Clinical Sciences, University of Roma “Sapienza,” Rome, Italy
Giampaolo Bianchi
- Department of Urology, University of Modena, Modena, Italy
Diego Russo
- Department of Pharmacobiological Sciences, University of Catanzaro “Magna Græcia,” Catanzaro, Italy
- Reprint requests: Diego Russo, M.D., Department of Pharmacobiological Sciences, University of Catanzaro “Magna Graecia,” Viale Europa, Germaneto, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy

Received 6 March 2009; accepted 3 October 2009. published online 07 December 2009.

Objective

To analyze expression of the sodium/iodide symporter (NIS) in tissue specimen from a large series of patients with prostate adenocarcinoma. Few data are available on the NIS expression in prostate tumor tissues.

Methods

NIS protein expression was examined by immunohistochemistry in 78 tumor tissue specimen and their non-neoplastic counterparts. Total ribonucleic acid was extracted for semiquantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis of NIS transcript. The relationship between NIS expression and Gleason score, prostate-specific antigen levels and stage was also investigated.

Results

NIS protein was expressed in 41 of 78 prostate cancer (52.4%) and was located predominantly intracellularly, whereas immunoreactivity was missing in nontumor hyperplastic prostatic tissue. Absence of expression was mainly because of reduced or lost gene transcription, as detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. A statistically significant relationship was detected between presence of NIS expression and some markers of aggressiveness including stage ≥pT2a (P = .007) and Gleason score ≥8 (P = .014).

Conclusions

Our data demonstrate the presence of NIS transcript and protein in about half of prostate cancer tissues and its relationship with clinical markers of aggressiveness. Thus, it may potentially serve as a biomarker for defining individuals with biologically active prostate cancer.