J Korean Med Sci.  2007 Apr;22(2):305-310. 10.3346/jkms.2007.22.2.305.

Claudin-7 is Highly Expressed in Chromophobe Renal Cell Carcinoma and Renal Oncocytoma

• Choi YD
• Kim KS
• Ryu S
• Park Y
• Cho NH
• Rha SH
• Jang JJ
• Ro JY
• Juhng SW
• Choi C

• KMID: 1713192
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2007.22.2.305

Abstract

Claudin-7 has recently been suggested to be a distal nephron marker. We tested the possibility that expression of claudin-7 could be used as a marker of renal tumors originating from the distal nephron. We examined the immunohistochemical expression of claudin-7 and parvalbumin in 239 renal tumors, including 179 clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC)s, 29 papillary RCCs, 20 chromophobe RCCs, and 11 renal oncocytomas. In addition, the methylation specific-PCR (MSP) of claudin-7 was performed. Claudin-7 and parvalbumin immunostains were positive in 3.4%, 7.8% of clear cell RCCs, 34.5%, 31.0% of papillary RCCs, 95.0%, 80.0% of chromophobe RCCs, and 72.7%, 81.8% of renal oncocytomas, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of claudin-7 in diagnosing chromophobe RCC among subtypes of RCC were 95.0% and 92.3%. Those of parvalbumin were 80.0% and 88.9%. The expression pattern of claudin-7 was mostly diffuse in chromophobe RCC and was either focal or diffuse in oncocytoma. All of the cases examined in the MSP revealed the presence of unmethylated promoter of claudin-7 without regard to claudin-7 immunoreactivity. Hypermethylation of the promoter might not be the underlying mechanism for loss of its expression in RCC. Claudin-7 can be used as a useful diagnostic marker in diagnosing chromophobe RCC and oncocytoma.

Keyword

Chromophobe Renal Cell Carcinoma; Oncocytoma; Claudin-7

MeSH Terms

Tumor Markers, Biological/metabolism
Tumor Cells, Cultured
Tissue Distribution
Sensitivity and Specificity
Reproducibility of Results
Nephrons/metabolism
Neoplasm Proteins/metabolism
Membrane Proteins/analysis/*metabolism
Kidney Neoplasms/*diagnosis/*metabolism
Humans
Carcinoma, Renal Cell/*diagnosis/*metabolism
Adenoma, Oxyphilic/*diagnosis/*metabolism

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Immunohistochemical stains of claudin-7 and parvalbumin. Hematoxylin and eosin stains of normal renal cortex (A), clear cell RCC (B), papillary RCC (C), chromophobe RCC (D), and renal oncocytoma (E) are shown. Claudin-7 is expressed in the distal nephron of normal renal cortex with a distinct membranous pattern (F). It is diffusely expressed in papillary RCC (H) and chromophobe RCC (I), and is focally expressed in oncocytoma (J). It is not expressed in clear cell RCC (G). Parvalbumin is expressed in the cytoplasm of the distal nephron of normal renal cortex (K). It is diffusely expressed in papillary RCC (M), chromophobe RCC (N), and oncocytoma (O). It is not expressed in conventional RCC (L) (A-O, ×200).

• 

  Fig. 2 Methylation-specific PCR of claudin-7. Primer sets used for amplification are designated as un-methylated (U), and methylated (M). The methylated control DNA (MC), and un-methylated control DNA (UMC) are designated. The smaller molecular weight fragments seen in the U and M lanes are primer dimers.

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