The expression of SFRP1, SFRP3, DVL1, and DVL2 proteins in testicular germ cell tumors

Abstract

Germ cell tumors of the testis are a heterogeneous group of neoplasms that affect male adolescents and young adults. Wnt signaling pathway components have been shown to be actively involved in normal and malignant germ cell differentiation and progression. In this study, we aimed to explore the expression patterns of the secreted frizzled-related protein (SFRP) and Disheveled protein family (DVL) in a subset of testicular germ cell tumors. Eighty-five formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples of the primary germ cell tumors of the testis were stained against SFRP1, SFRP3, DVL1, and DVL2 proteins using immunohistochemistry. SFRP1 and SFRP3 exhibited lower expression in both seminomas and mixed/non-seminomatous tumors, compared with atrophic/benign tissue (p < 0.001). SFRP3 expression was lower than SFRP1 expression within the seminoma group (p = 0.004), but not within the mixed/non-seminomatous group (p = 0.409). The majority of the tested cases (27/28, 96%) exhibited low DVL1 protein expression (median 0%, range 0-90%). In contrast, 20 out of 22 tested cases (91%) exhibited strong expression of DVL2 protein (median 80%, range 0-100%). No significant difference in DVL1 and DVL2 protein expression was observed between seminomas and mixed/non-seminomatous tumors (p = 0.68 and 0.29). The secreted frizzled-related protein and disheveled protein family members appear to be actively involved in the pathogenesis of primary testicular germ cell tumors.

Wnt signaling pathway regulates differentiation of chicken embryonic stem cells into spermatogonial stem cells via Wnt5a

“…It is well know that the differentiation of ESCs into SSCs is a very complex physiological process in which multiple genes and signaling pathways are involved. A large number of findings has documented the roles of Wnt signaling, Notch signaling, and TGF‐β signaling in this process.…”

Identification and Analysis of Genes Related to Testicular Size in 14-Day-Old Piglets

“…Wnt/β-catenin signaling is required for the normal development of primordial germ cells, mediated by the secreted curve-associated protein (SFRP) family, including five different glycoproteins SFRP1 to SFRP5 , and this is the largest of the Wnt signaling pathways and acts by binding directly to Wnt ligands or curl receptors [ 21 ]. Fabijanovic et al [ 22 ] showed that the expression of SFRP1 in seminomas and mixed or nonseminomas was lower in atrophied tissues compared with benign tissues, and SFRP1 appeared to be actively involved in the pathogenesis of primary testicular germ cell tumors, indicating that the downregulation of SFRP1 was actively involved in the regulation of testicular development. The results of this experiment showed that SFRP1 was negatively correlated with testicular size and development, which was similar to the regulatory conclusion of Fabijanovic, so in testicular development, SFRP1 was inferred to be involved in the negative regulation of testicular development.…”