STAT 3, STAT 5A, STAT 5B and STAT 6 proteins are overexpressed in human basal cell carcinoma

Abstract

Summary Background The molecular pathogenesis of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is still not precisely described and is the subject of ongoing studies. The role of signal transducers and activators of transcription (STATs) in human epithelial carcinogenesis has been poorly investigated, but in the era of studies on inhibitors targeting STAT proteins this topic seems worth exploring. Increased expression of STAT3 in human nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) has been confirmed in a few studies, but to our knowledge, expression of STAT5A, STAT5B and STAT6 in BCC has not been previously evaluated. Aim To measure expression of STAT3, STAT5A, STAT5B and STAT6 expression in different histopathological subtypes of human BCC and its correlation with selected clinical variables. Methods Immunohistochemistry was used to assess 60 BCC tumour specimens [20 superficial (s)BCCs, 20 nodular (n)BCCs and 20 infiltrative (i)BCCs] and to compare with specimens of healthy skin. There was no significant difference in age or sex between the three groups of patients with BCC. As many tumours showed heterogeneity of staining, the H‐score system was applied to calculate the intensity of immunoexpression. Results Expression of STAT3, STAT5A, STAT5B and STAT6 was observed in all histopathological subtypes of BCC, and was stronger than the expression within the adjacent epidermis and also stronger than the expression within the epidermis in the healthy control group. Statistical analysis revealed no significant differences in mean H‐scores calculated for sBCCs, nBCCs and iBCCs. There were no statistically significant associations between STAT3, STAT5A, STAT5B and STAT6 expression and patient sex/age, and tumour size/site. Conclusion Our results confirm a possible role of STATs in the pathogenesis of BCC and should encourage future investigations on the possible therapeutic implications of this finding.

High‐throughput proteomic analysis of chronic inflammatory skin diseases: Psoriasis and atopic dermatitis

“…36,38,39 Meanwhile, overexpression of STAT5 has been described in several cancerous conditions, including skin tumours like melanoma and basal cell carcinoma. 40,41 In order to identify possible biomarkers which are consistently and highly expressed in one group and lacking in others, we applied a filter on MS results (values present in >50% of samples versus values present in <25% of samples). The protein that first stood out during the filtering process was POSTN.…”

“…In contrast, STAT5 increased activity has been shown in AD mouse models 36,38,39 . Meanwhile, overexpression of STAT5 has been described in several cancerous conditions, including skin tumours like melanoma and basal cell carcinoma 40,41 …”