ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Minerva Gastroenterologica e Dietologica 2020 September;66(3):208-10

DOI: 10.23736/S1121-421X.20.02667-7

Copyright © 2020 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

P38 expression in colorectal adenomas: relationships to cell proliferation, stem phenotype and akt pathway proteins

Adriana HANDRA-LUCA ^{1, 2} ✉, Mouna BENDIB ¹, Christina MAGKOU ³

¹ APHP GHU Avicenne, Bobigny, France; ² UFR SMBH Université Paris Nord Sorbonne Cité, Bobigny, France; ³ Evaggelismos Hospital, Athens, Greece

BACKGROUND: The P38-protein is known to be expressed in colorectal adenomas (CRA). Expression in low- and high-grade tubular adenomas is decreased when compared to adenocarcinomas and increased with regard to normal mucosa. We aimed to study P38 expression in human CRAs and the relationships to cell proliferation Ki67-protein, stem-phenotype CD133-protein and, to mTOR-protein (AKT pathway).
METHODS: The immunohistochemical expression of P38 was evaluated in CRAs on tissue microarrays. Data were analyzed with the Kendall-rank-correlation test.
RESULTS: Nuclear P38 correlated to low-grade dysplasia (Kendall P<0.01/tau=-0.254) and to decreased adenoma size (P<0.01/tau=-0.267). Nuclear P38 also correlated to cytoplasmic or membrane mTOR (P<0.01/tau=-0.223 and P<0.01/tau=-0.340) and to cytoplasmic CD133 (P<0.01/0.293). An inverse relationship was observed to Ki67 (P<0.00/ tau=-0.110).
CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest an interference of P38 with initial steps of colorectal adenomagenesis. The correlation to mTOR suggests a biological crosstalk between the MAPK- and AKT-signaling-pathways in colorectal adenomagenesis at P38 level.

KEY WORDS: Cell proliferation; Adenoma, Neoplasms