Expression of inhibitor of apoptosis protein Livin in renal cell carcinoma and non-tumorous adult kidney

• Published in: British journal of cancer Vol. 97; no. 9; pp. 1271 - 1276
• Main Authors: WAGENER, N, CRNKOVIC-MERTENS, I, HAFERKAMP, A, AUTSCHBACH, F, HOHENFELLNER, M, HOPPE-SEYLER, F, VETTER, C, MACHER-GÖPPINGER, S, BEDKE, J, GRÖNE, E. F, ZENTGRAF, H, PRITSCH, M, HOPPE-SEYLER, K, BUSE, S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basingstoke Nature Publishing Group 05-11-2007
• Subjects: Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing - genetics; Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing - metabolism; Apoptosis; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers, Tumor - genetics; Biomarkers, Tumor - metabolism; Carcinoma, Renal Cell - genetics; Carcinoma, Renal Cell - metabolism; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Humans; Immunoenzyme Techniques; Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins - genetics; Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins - metabolism; Kidney - metabolism; Kidney Neoplasms - genetics; Kidney Neoplasms - metabolism; Kidneys; Medical sciences; Molecular Diagnostics; Neoplasm Proteins - genetics; Neoplasm Proteins - metabolism; Nephrology. Urinary tract diseases; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Neoplasm - genetics; RNA, Neoplasm - metabolism; Tumors; Tumors of the urinary system; Human; Kidney disease; Urinary system disease; Carcinoma; tumour therapy; Malignant tumor; Livin/ML-IAP/KIAP; renal cell carcinoma; Cancerology; Treatment; Apoptosis inhibitory protein; Cell death; Kidney cancer; inhibitor of apoptosis; Adult; Grawitz tumor; Inhibitor; Livin; Cancer; Apoptosis
• ISSN: 0007-0920; 1532-1827
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6604028

The antiapoptotic Livin/ML-IAP gene has recently gained much attention as a potential new target for cancer therapy. Reports indicating that livin is expressed almost exclusively in tumours, but not in the corresponding normal tissue, suggested that the targeted inhibition of livin may present a novel tumour-specific therapeutic strategy. Here, we compared the expression of livin in renal cell carcinoma and in non-tumorous adult kidney tissue by quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR, immunoblotting, and immunohistochemistry. We found that livin expression was significantly increased in tumours (P=0.0077), but was also clearly detectable in non-tumorous adult kidney. Transcripts encoding Livin isoforms alpha and beta were found in both renal cell carcinoma and normal tissue, without obvious qualitative differences. Livin protein in renal cell carcinoma samples exhibited cytoplasmic and/or nuclear staining. In non-tumorous kidney tissue, Livin protein expression was only detectable in specific cell types and restricted to the cytoplasm. Thus, whereas the relative overexpression of livin in renal cell carcinoma indicates that it may still represent a therapeutic target to increase the apoptotic sensitivity of kidney cancer cells, this strategy is likely to be not tumour-specific.