Searchable abstracts of presentations at key conferences in endocrinology
Endocrine Abstracts (2013) 32 P665 | DOI: 10.1530/endoabs.32.P665

ECE2013 Poster Presentations Male reproduction (41 abstracts)

Immunohistochemical detection of Prok1 and ProkR1 in normal testis and germ cell tumour tissue microarrays

Vincenzo Gigantino 1 , Renato Franco 1 , Paolo Chieffi 2 , Vincenzo Palumbo 3 , Iolanda Cioffi 3 , Adriana De Masi 3 & Antonio Agostino Sinisi 3


1Dpt Patologia, INT Fondazione Pascale, Napoli, Italy; 2Dpt Psicologia, Second University of Napoli, Napoli, Italy; 3Dpt Scienze Cardiorespiratorie e Polmonari, Second University of Napoli, U. Endocrinology, Napoli, Italy.


Prokineticins (Prok1 and Prok2) are chemokine-like peptides, which regulate through two G-protein-coupled receptors, ProkR1 and ProkR2, different physiological and pathological functions. Prok1 plays a significant role in tumour development and progression in several tissues. There are few data on the involvement of Prok1 and ProkR1 in testicular cancer. Aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of Prok1 and ProkR1 in a series of testicular germ cell tumours (GCT).

Methods: We evaluated by immunohistochemistry the expression of Prok1 and ProkR1 in 2 Tissue Micro Array (TMA), containing a series of 140 GCT (90 seminoma, S, and 50 mixed non-seminomas, NS) and 30 normal tissues. We selected all representative areas of each component of NS (embryonic carcinoma, EC, yolk sac tumour, YS, chorioncarcinoma, CH, teratoma, T, and carcinoma in situ, CIS).

Results and conclusions: Prok1 absent in normal germ cells resulted frequently expressed in GCT (78% S, 58% NS, 83% CIS), with higher level in S than in other types (P<0.005). ProkR1 was poorly expressed in GCT, except for EC (50% were positive). No correlation was observed between ligand and its receptor presence. The expression of Prok1-ProkR1 system in GCT suggests a potential role as autocrine pathway in the development and progression of a subset of these tumours.

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