Sarcoglycan Complex in Human Normal and Pathological Prostatic Tissue: An Immunohistochemical and RT‐PCR Study

Abstract

The sarcoglycan complex is a trans-membrane system playing a key role in mechano-signaling the connection from the cytoskeleton to the extracellular matrix. While b-, d-, and e-sarcoglycans are widely distributed, g-and a-sarcoglycans are expressed exclusively in skeletal and cardiac muscle. Insufficient data are available on the distribution of sarcoglycans in nonmuscular tissue. In the present study, we used immunohistochemical and RT-PCR techniques to study the sarcoglycans also in normal human glandular tissue, a type of tissue never studied in relation to the sarcoglycan complex, with the aim of verifying the real wider distribution of this complex. To understand the role of sarcoglycans, we tested specimens collected from patients affected by benign prostatic hyperplasia and adenocarcinoma. For the first time, our results showed that all sarcoglycans are detectable in normal samples both in epithelial and in myoepithelial cells; in pathological prostate, sarcoglycans appeared severely reduced in number or were absent. These data demonstrated that all sarcoglycans have a wider distribution suggesting a new unknown role for these proteins. The decreased number of sarcoglycans, containing cadherin domain homologs in samples of prostate affected by hyperplasia, and the absence of proteins in prostate biopsies, in cases affected by adenocarcinoma, could be responsible for the loss of adhesion between epithelial cells, which in turn facilitates the progression of benign tumors and the invasive potential of malignant tumors. Anat Rec,

Sarcoglycans and integrins in human thyrocytes: an immunofluorescence study

“…Our previous results on normal breast and prostatic epithelium have shown a clearly detectable immunofluorescence for all SGs, normally distributed in all cells, demonstrating a hexameric structure for this subcomplex (19,20). Based on our present results, we can assert that also in thyrocytes exists a SGC structured with hexameric organization.…”

“…Similar results we have obtained in glandular epithelium of prostatic gland, analysing samples of patients affected by benign prostatic hyperplasia and by prostatic adenocarcinoma (20).…”

“…In particular, all six sarcoglycans are organized in different tetramers, or even in a hexameric arrangement (18) Nevertheless, it is not clear yet what are the tetramers in these tissues. Also in glandular epithelium from the mammary and prostatic gland it was possible to demonstrate a normal presence of all SGs in healthy tissues and a reduced fluorescence in samples with mammary or prostatic pathology (19,20). In particular, the study on mammary gland showed that in biopsies of normal breast tissue, immunofluorescence was detectable for all the tested SGs, the staining pattern for all SGs was distributed in all cells and immunofluorescence for all SGs was detectable also in myoepithelial cells.…”

ABC of multifaceted dystrophin glycoprotein complex (DGC)

“…In gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), a change in dystrophin expression levels and/or mutations or loss of this gene has been observed (Maria et al, 2014). Sarcoglycans are less expressed in FIGURE 4 The major pathological conditions associated with dys-regulation and/or mutations of the various components of the dystrophin glycoprotein complex (DGC) breast fibro-adenoma tissues (Alba et al, 2012) or may be completely lost in prostate adenocarcinoma (Cutroneo et al, 2014). Decreased expression of Alpha 1 syntrophin (SNTA1) is associated with eosophageal squamous cell carcinoma and eosophageal adenocarcinoma, while an increase in its expression has been related to breast cancer (Bhat et al, 2011).…”

“…breast fibro-adenoma tissues (Alba et al, 2012) or may be completely lost in prostate adenocarcinoma (Cutroneo et al, 2014). Decreased expression of Alpha 1 syntrophin (SNTA1) is associated with eosophageal squamous cell carcinoma and eosophageal adenocarcinoma, while an increase in its expression has been related to breast cancer (Bhat et al, 2011).…”