Acta clinica Croatica, Vol. 57. No. 2., 2018.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.20471/acc.2018.57.02.06
Differential Expression of TFF Genes and Proteins in Breast Tumors
Maja Tolušić Levak
; Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia;
Martina Mihalj
; Department of Physiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia;
Ivan Koprivčić
; Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia; Department of Surgery, Osijek University Hospital Centre, Osijek, Croatia;
Sanja Novak
; Department of Physiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
Nikola Bijelić
; Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia;
Mirela Baus Lončar
; Department of Molecular Medicine, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Zagreb, Croatia;
Tatjana Belovari
; Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia;
Kristina Kralik
; Department of Medical Statistics and Informatics, Faculty of Medicine, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
Biljana Pauzar
; Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Osijek Croatia; Department of Clinical Cytology, Osijek University Hospital Centre, Osijek, CroatiaOsijek, Osijek, Croatia
Abstract
The objective of this study was to determine diff erential expression of TFF1, TFF2 and TFF3 genes and proteins in breast tumor subtypes. In addition, we investigated the correlation between TFF genes within tumor subgroups, and TFF genes with clinical and pathologic characteristics of the tumor. Study group included 122 patients with surgically removed breast tumors. Samples were investigated using qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. TFF1 and TFF3 genes and proteins were expressed in breast tumors, while the levels of TFF2 gene and protein expression were very low or undetectable. TFF1 was signifi cantly more expressed in benign tumors, while TFF3 was more expressed in malignant tumors. Gene and protein expression of both TFF1 and TFF3 was greater in lymph node-negative tumors, hormone positive tumors, tumors with moderate levels of Ki67 expression, and in grade II tumors. A strong positive correlation was found between TFF1 and TFF3 genes, and the expression of both negatively correlated with Ki67 and the level of tumor histologic diff erentiation. Our results suggest that TFF1 and TFF3, but not TFF2, may have a role in breast tumor pathogenesis and could be used in the assessment of tumor diff erentiation and malignancy.
Keywords
Neoplasm Proteins; Breast Neoplasms; Immunohistochemistry; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Lymph Nodes; Ki-67 Antigen
Hrčak ID:
207518
URI
Publication date:
1.6.2018.
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