Expression of nuclear insulin receptor substrate 1 in breast cancer
- Diego Sisci1,*,
- Catia Morelli1,*,
- Cecilia Garofalo1,
- Francesco Romeo2,
- Lucio Morabito2,
- Filomena Casaburi2,
- Emilia Middea1,
- Sandra Cascio3,
- Elvira Brunelli4,
- Sebastiano Andò5,
- Eva Surmacz3
- 1Department of Pharmaco-Biology, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, Italy
- 2Division of Anatomo-Pathology, Annunziata Hospital, Cosenza, Italy
- 3Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- 4Department of Ecology, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, Italy
- 5Department of Cellular Biology, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, Italy
- Correspondence to: Dr E Surmacz Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, College of Science and Technology, Temple University, 1900 N 12th St Rm 446, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA; surmacz{at}temple.edu
- Accepted 13 June 2006
- Published Online First 1 August 2006
Abstract
Background: Insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1), a cytoplasmic protein transmitting signals from the insulin and insulin-like growth factor 1 receptors, has been implicated in breast cancer. Previously, it was reported that IRS-1 can be translocated to the nucleus and modulate oestrogen receptor α (ERα) activity in vitro. However, the expression of nuclear IRS-1 in breast cancer biopsy specimens has never been examined.
Aims: To assess whether nuclear IRS-1 is present in breast cancer and non-cancer mammary epithelium, and whether it correlates with other markers, especially ERα. Parallel studies were carried out for the expression of cytoplasmatic IRS-1.
Methods: IRS-1 and ERα expression was assessed by immunohistochemical analysis. Data were evaluated using Pearson’s correlation, linear regression and receiver operating characteristic analysis.
Results: Median nuclear IRS-1 expression was found to be low in normal mammary epithelial cells (1.6%) and high in benign tumours (20.5%), ductal grade 2 carcinoma (11.0%) and lobular carcinoma (~30%). Median ERα expression in normal epithelium, benign tumours, ductal cancer grade 2 and 3, and lobular cancer grade 2 and 3 were 10.5, 20.5, 65.0, 0.0, 80 and 15%, respectively. Nuclear IRS-1 and ERα positively correlated in ductal cancer (p<0.001) and benign tumours (p<0.01), but were not associated in lobular cancer and normal mammary epithelium. In ductal carcinoma, both nuclear IRS-1 and ERα negatively correlated with tumour grade, size, mitotic index and lymph node involvement. Cytoplasmic IRS-1 was expressed in all specimens and positively correlated with ERα in ductal cancer.
Conclusions: A positive association between nuclear IRS-1 and ERα is a characteristic for ductal breast cancer and marks a more differentiated, non-metastatic phenotype.
- Ab, antibody
- ERα, oestrogen receptor α
- IGF-I, insulin-like growth factor I
- IGF-IR, insulin-like growth factor I receptor
- IHC, immunohistochemical
- IRS-1, insulin receptor substrate 1
- PBS, phosphate-buffered saline
- pN, lymph node status
- pT, tumour size
- ROC, receiver operating characteristic
Footnotes
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↵* These authors contributed equally to this work.
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Published Online First 1 August 2006
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Competing interests: None declared.
