Yonsei Med J.  2015 May;56(3):598-607. 10.3349/ymj.2015.56.3.598.

Expression of Sarcosine Metabolism-Related Proteins in Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Comparison to Invasive Ductal Carcinoma

• Cha YJ
• Jung WH
• Cho NH
• Koo JS

• KMID: 2450331
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2015.56.3.598

Abstract

PURPOSE
The aims of this study were to compare the expression of sarcosine metabolism-related proteins between invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) and invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) and to determine the implications of these results.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Tissue microarrays were constructed, containing 30 samples from normal breast tissue, 114 samples from patients with ILC, and 692 samples from patients with IDC. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to examine the expression of sarcosine metabolism-related proteins [glycine N-methyltransferase, sarcosine dehydrogenase, and l-pipecolic acid oxidase (PIPOX)].
RESULTS
The sarcosine metabolic phenotype differed between ILC and IDC (p<0.001). In IDC, sarcosine metabolic phenotype was distributed as null type (61.7%)>low sarcosine type (30.4%)>high sarcosine type (5.0%)>intermediate type (2.9%). However, in ILC, the sarcosine metabolic phenotype was distributed as low sarcosine type (61.4%)>null type (32.5%)>intermediate type (5.3%)>high sarcosine type (0.9%). PIPOX showed higher expression in ILC than in IDC (p<0.001) and correlated with androgen receptor (AR) positivity (p=0.001) in ILC.
CONCLUSION
Expression of sarcosine metabolism-related proteins differed between ILC and IDC. Low sarcosine type was the majority sarcosine metabolic phenotype of ILC. PIPOX expression was predominant in ILC and correlated with AR positivity.

Keyword

Breast cancer; lobular cancer; sarcosine

MeSH Terms

Adult
Breast/pathology
Breast Neoplasms/*metabolism/pathology
Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast/*metabolism/pathology
Carcinoma, Lobular/*metabolism
Female
Humans
Immunohistochemistry
Middle Aged
Multivariate Analysis
Phenotype
Proportional Hazards Models
Regression Analysis
Retrospective Studies
Sarcosine/genetics/*metabolism
Tissue Array Analysis
Sarcosine

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Comparison of sarcosine metabolism-related proteins among normal breast tissue, invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), and invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC). ILC was found to have a higher expression rate of PIPOX than IDC. H&E, hematoxylin and eosin; GNMT, glycine N-methyltransferase; SARDH, sarcosine dehydrogenase; PIPOX, l-pipecolic acid oxidase.

• 

  Fig. 2 Correlation between clinicopathologic factors and sarcosine metabolism-related proteins in invasive lobular carcinoma. AR, androgen receptor; PIPOX, l-pipecolic acid oxidase; SARDH, sarcosine dehydrogenase; HER-2, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2; TNBC, triple-negative breast cancer.

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