Fas/FasL expression in colorectal cancer. An immunohistochemical study.

Abstract

Materials and methodsTissue samples. The study group consisted of 50 patients with colorectal carcinoma, operated on in the Surgical Department of the J. Sniadecki Hospital in Bialystok. Colorectal carcinoma specimens FOLIA HISTOCHEMICA ET CYTOBIOLOGICA Vol. 48, No. 3, 2010 pp. 425-429 Fas/FasL expression in colorectal cancer. An immunohistochemical study Anna Pryczynicz, Katarzyna Guziñska-Ustymowicz and Andrzej Kemona Department of General Pathomorphology, Medical University of Bia³ystok, Bia³ystok, Poland Abstract: The objective of the current study was to assess the expression of Fas ligand (FasL) and Fas receptor (FasR) as the proteins of the post-mitochondrial apoptotic pathway in colorectal carcinoma and to investigate correlations between their expression and chosen clinico-pathological parameters. The protein expression was analyzed in 50 colorectal carcinoma patients, using the immunohistochemical method. Reaction for FasR was weak in 75.5% and strong in 24.5% of the study patients, as compared to normal glandular epithelium where FasR expression was strong in 100% of cases. On the other hand, FasL expression was found to be weak in 30% and strong in 70% of colorectal cancer patients, as compared to its lack in 100% of normal colorectal epithelium. Statistical analysis showed strong expression of FasL was found to correlate statistically significantly with vascular invasion (p=0.005). No correlations of FasL and FasR expression in the main mass of tumor was found between other clinic-pathological parameters. Fas ligand and Fas receptor appeared to be of little usefulness as prognostic factors for different groups of colorectal carcinoma patients. However, these proteins could become good therapeutic targets for colorectal carcinoma since their expression differs distinctly between normal intestinal epithelium and cancer cells, and known is the mechanism by which cancer cells escape death via apoptosis-inducing Fas/FasL pathway disorders.

FAS ligand expression in inflammatory infiltrate lymphoid cells as a prognostic marker in oral squamous cell carcinoma

“…The main components of the lymphoid cells are CD4+ T helper cells, CD8+ cytotoxic lymphocytes, and natural killer cells (Torisu et al, 2000). After Clark's classic article demonstrating the positive relationships between lymphoid cells and prognosis, this fact has been widely accepted and supported for several cancer types (Clark et al, 1989;Okada et al, 2000;Reichert et al, 2002;Kase et al, 2003;Guo et al, 2008;Bozdogan et al, 2010;Pryczynicz et al, 2010), including head and neck cancer (Fang et al, 2013;Mendes et al, 2014).…”

“…Gastman et al (1999) showed that FASL expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma promotes tumor inflammatory infiltrate cell apoptosis. In the same line, Reichert et al (2002) analyzed the correlation between FASL expression in OSCC and apoptosis index in the inflammatory infiltrate, suggesting that the tumor can alter immune cell survival via the FAS/FASL pathway, since most circulating T-cells are FAS+ and are therefore susceptible to apoptosis through interaction of FASL with its receptor (Okada et al, 2000;Hoffmann et al, 2002;Pryczynicz et al, 2010). Moreover, in colorectal cancer other authors have shown that lymphoid cell apoptosis is higher when FASL expression is strong (Bennett et al, 1998;Okada et al, 2000;Pryczynicz et al, 2010).…”

“…In the same line, Reichert et al (2002) analyzed the correlation between FASL expression in OSCC and apoptosis index in the inflammatory infiltrate, suggesting that the tumor can alter immune cell survival via the FAS/FASL pathway, since most circulating T-cells are FAS+ and are therefore susceptible to apoptosis through interaction of FASL with its receptor (Okada et al, 2000;Hoffmann et al, 2002;Pryczynicz et al, 2010). Moreover, in colorectal cancer other authors have shown that lymphoid cell apoptosis is higher when FASL expression is strong (Bennett et al, 1998;Okada et al, 2000;Pryczynicz et al, 2010). Fang et al (2013) showed that the inflammatory infiltrate cell apoptosis index is increased compared to tumor cell apoptosis in oral cancer with strong FASL expression, suggesting an important role for FASL in tumor progression.…”

“…Several authors have associated strong FASL tumor expression with lymph node metastases; examples include colorectal cancer (Nozoe et al, 2003;Pryczynicz et al, 2010), cervical adenocarcinoma (Kase et al, 2003), and oral cancer (Fang et al, 2013).…”

Fas/FasL in the immune pathogenesis of severe aplastic anemia

“…In malignant tumor diseases, the expression of Fas might be reduced on the surface of tumor cells in order to escape the removal functions of immune cells, enabling tumor cells to seize proliferation opportunities resulting in disease. Fas expression increases in autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, multiple sclerosis, and Grave's disease, which causes immune cells to identify and kill their own organizations (Ehrenschwender and Wajant, 2009;Pryczynicz et al, 2010;Otsuki et al, 2011). The results of the present study showed that FasL expression on the CD8 + T cell surface was significantly higher in SAA patients compared to the normal population.…”