Expression and significance of ZEB2 and E-cadherin protein in urothelial carcinoma of urinary bladder

ZHONG Xiaojian; HUANG Hongcai; YE Dongming; HAN Yuefu; FANG Hailin; PENG Lian; CHEN Qingjiang; PAN Bin

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1002-266X.2016.39.003

Abstract：Objective To investigate the expression and clinical significance of E-box binding zinc finger protein 2 (ZEB2)and E-cadherin in urothelial carcinoma of urinary bladder.Methods The protein expression of ZEB2 and E-cad-herin from 57 cases of tumor tissue specimens in patients with bladder urothelial carcinoma (observation group)and 15 ca-ses of normal bladder tissue specimens (control group)was detected by immunohistochemistry,and the relationships be-tween the expression of ZEB2 and E-cadherin and clinicopathological features of bladder urothelial carcinoma as well as the correlation between them were investigated.Results The positive expression rates of ZEB2 in the observation group and the control group were 50.9%(29/57)and 13.3%(2/15),respectively (P<0.05).The positive expression rates of E-cad-herin in the observation group and the control group were 80%(12/15)and 33.3%(19/57),respectively (P<0.05). The expression of ZEB2 protein was correlated with TNM staging and lymph node metastasis of bladder urothelial carcino-ma,and the expression of E-cadherin protein was correlated with pathological grade and TNM stages of bladder urothelial carcinoma (all P<0.05).Spearman rank correlation analysis showed that the expression of ZEB2 and E-cadherin protein in bladder urothelial carcinoma was negatively correlated (r=-0.611,P=0.000).Conclusion ZEB2 protein is highly expressed and E-cadherin protein is low expressed in patients with urothelial carcinoma of urinary bladder,and the abnor-mal expression of ZEB2 and E-cadherin may be related to the occurrence and development of bladder urothelial carcinoma.