gms | German Medical Science

70. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (DGNC)
Joint Meeting mit der Skandinavischen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (DGNC) e. V.

12.05. - 15.05.2019, Würzburg

The expression of the intercellular communication proteins GAP43 and Cx43 in diffuse and anaplastic gliomas

Die Expression der interzellulären Kommunikationsproteine GAP43 und Cx43 in diffusen und anaplastischen Gliomen

Meeting Abstract

  • presenting/speaker Aleksandrs Krigers - Medizinische Universität Innsbruck, Univ.Klinik für Neurochirurgie, Innsbruck, Austria
  • Patrizia Moser - Landeskrankenhaus Innsbruck, Neuropathologie, Innsbruck, Austria
  • Helga Fritsch - Medizinische Universität Innsbruck, Sektion für Klinisch-Funktionelle Anatomie, Innsbruck, Austria
  • Claudius Thomé - Medizinische Universität Innsbruck, Univ.Klinik für Neurochirurgie, Innsbruck, Austria
  • Christian F. Freyschlag - Medizinische Universität Innsbruck, Univ.Klinik für Neurochirurgie, Innsbruck, Austria

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie. 70. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (DGNC), Joint Meeting mit der Skandinavischen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie. Würzburg, 12.-15.05.2019. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2019. DocP073

doi: 10.3205/19dgnc411, urn:nbn:de:0183-19dgnc4110

Published: May 8, 2019

© 2019 Krigers et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. See license information at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.


Outline

Text

Objective: The expansion and therapeutic resistance of diffuse and anaplastic gliomas varies greatly. This might be possible due to variations in the cell-to-cell communication, determined by the Cx43-associated junctional activity and microtubules-defined network, where the dominant structural component is GAP43. The aim of our trial was to assess the expression of these crucial proteins in samples of patients harboring WHO°II and III gliomas.

Methods: Tissue of adult patients with histologically proven WHO°II and III gliomas, who underwent surgery between 2014 and 2018, were selected from our institutional biobank. The GAP43 and Cx43 expression was analyzed using immunohistochemistry. The clinical and routine neuropathological findings were gained from patient charts.

Results: 43 (57%) males and 33 (43%) females with a median age of 47 (IqR: 35–61) years were analyzed. In 15 (20%) patients a diffuse low-grade glioma (WHO°II) and in 46 (60%) an anaplastic glioma (WHO°III) was diagnosed. Further 15 patients (20%) were diagnosed with a diffuse glioma showing focal anaplasia.

The IDH1 wildtype tumors showed a significantly higher expression of Cx43 (p=0.003) and a trend towards higher expression of GAP43 (p=0.075). Moreover, the IDH1 wildtype tumors demonstrated significantly higher Cx43 expression in patients with longer intervals between imaging-based diagnosis and actual biopsy (p=0.032), whereas this association was absent in IDH1 mutated gliomas (p=0.549). In the same time, advanced Cx43 expression correlated with lower Ki67 nuclear expression in both IDH1 wildtype (p=0.003) and mutated gliomas (p=0.019). In IDH1 wildtype gliomas the presence of ATRX was significantly associated with high GAP43 expression (p=0.031).

The GAP43 and Cx43 expression did not match the WHO grade; neither the age, gender or contrast enhancement in MR-imaging. There was no correlation with expression of EGFR, p53 or presence of 1p/19q co-deletion, MGMT-methylation and TERT status.

Conclusion: The IDH1 wildtype gliomas showed advanced expression and longitudinal increase of Cx43. That can be interpreted as options for the intercellular networking, which matches their more aggressive behavior and poor clinical outcome. GAP43 showed similar results regarding the advanced expression, but not in terms of longitudinal increase. In the same time, higher WHO grade and mitosis rate did not determine the presence of advanced cell-to-cell interaction.