Correlations of MUC15 overexpression with clinicopathological features and prognosis of glioma

Abstract

The abnormal expression of MUC15, a novel cell membrane-associated mucin, has been reported to predict poor survival in several cancers. The aim of the present study was to examine the expression of MUC15 in glioma and its correlation with clinicopathological features, including the survival of patients with glioma. The mRNA expression level of MUC15 was determined by RT-PCR, quantitative RT-PCR (RT-qPCR) and Western blotting in seven normal brain tissues and seven glioma tissues, respectively. The protein expression level of MUC15 was immunohistochemically detected in paraffin-embedded samples of 317 glioma tissues and 115 noncancerous brain tissues. The association of MUC15 expression levels with the clinicopathologic features and the prognosis was analyzed. The results showed that both mRNA and protein levels of MUC15 were significantly increased in glioma as compared with those in noncancerous brain tissue. Moreover, MUC15 overexpression was positively correlated with the advanced clinical stages of glioam patients (P<0.01). Furthermore, MUC15 expression levels were significantly correlated with the progression of glioma (P<0.001). Survival analysis indicated that glioma patients with higher MUC15 expression had a significantly shorter overall and 5-year survival time than those with low MUC15 expression. Multivariate analysis suggested that MUC15 overexpression was an independent factor for prognosis (hazard risk: 3.216; P=0.009). It was concluded that MUC15 is overexpressed in glioma tissues. Its overexpression correlates with tumor progression and it is a potentially unfavorable prognostic factor for patients with glioma.

Genomic alterations in mucins across cancers

“…Furthermore, KIRC and KIRP both show a dramatic decrease in MUC15 mRNA. MUC15 is an underexplored transmembrane glycoprotein, which has been shown to have various possible roles in cancers [ 36 – 38 ]. In hepatocellular carcinomas, decreased MUC15 expression was seen and associated with more aggressive phenotypes and shorter survival [ 37 ].…”

“…In hepatocellular carcinomas, decreased MUC15 expression was seen and associated with more aggressive phenotypes and shorter survival [ 37 ]. However, a reverse trend is seen in glioma, where increased MUC15 correlates positively with progression and stage and serves as an independent factor for prognosis [ 38 ]. MUC15 also has signaling interactions with key growth-modulating signaling pathways such as the epidermal growth factor receptor and phosphoinositide 3-kinase [ 36 , 37 ].…”

MiR-215, an activator of the CTNNBIP1/β-catenin pathway, is a marker of poor prognosis in human glioma

“…Patients who died of diseases not directly related to their gliomas or due to unexpected events were excluded from this study. Several clinicopathological features, such as WHO grade, Karnofsky performance status (KPS) score, and tumor size, have been considered as important prognostic factors for gliomas [ 36 ].…”

High Expression of MUC15 Is Correlated with Poor Prognosis of Pancreatic Cancer and Promotes Migration, Invasion, and Chemo-Resistance In Vitro

“…Firstly, MUC15 is overexpressed in colon cancer cell lines, activates the p-ERK pathway, and promotes metastasis and invasion [ 17 ]. Subsequently, Yang [ 32 ] showed the MUC15 overexpression was correlated with cancer progression and can be used as a marker for poor prognosis in glioma patients. In thyroid cancer, Choi [ 18 ] showed that MUC15 has a vital function in sphere formation of cancer cells and activates ERK by FAK and GPCR/cAMP pathways.…”

“…Interestingly, we proved that MUC15 activated the ERK-MAPK pathway in PC cells by western blot. The PI3K/AKT signaling pathway also promotes the invasion and metastasis of pancreatic cancer [ 32 , 39 ]. Activation of this pathway leads to cell progression, cellular apoptosis, protein synthesis, and genomic instability [ 40 ].…”