Reversion-Inducing Cysteine-Rich Protein With Kazal Motifs (RECK) In Angiogenesis Of Microvessels In Glioblastoma

Background: Reversion-inducing cysteine-rich protein with Kazal motifs (RECK) may play a role in tumor angiogenesis. Glioblastomas, the most malignant type of primary brain tumor, are highly vascularized. Little is known about the role of RECK in angiogenesis of glioblastomas. The aims of this study were to characterize RECK expression and investigate the role of RECK in glioblastomas.

Methods and Findings: Tumor samples from 50 patients with glioblastoma and brain tissue samples from neurologically normal controls were immunohistochemically stained for RECK, CD34, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). RECK was expressed in endothelial cells but not tumor cells. A significant correlation between microvessel density (MVD) according to RECK and CD34 was revealed. However, RECK expression was remarkably weak in glomeruloid vessels. MVD according to RECK staining was significantly lower than MVDto CD34 staining in the group with glomeruloid vascular proliferation, which was related with high expression of VEGF.

Conclusions: RECK expression was observed in endothelial cells of microvessels in normal brain and the patients with glioblastoma. However, RECK expression was remarkably downregulated in endothelial cells of glomeruloid vessels. Thus, RECK may act during angiogenesis in glioblastomas, especially in forming simple vessels as microvessels rather than glomeruloid vessels.

Author(s): Kohei Kanaya, Keiichi Sakai, Kazuhiro Hongo, Mana Fukushima, Masatomo Kawakubo and Jun Nakayama

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