Introduction: The main risk factor for the development of cervical cancer (CC) is persistent infection by human papillomavirus (HPV) oncogenic types. In order to persist, HPV exhibits a plethora of immune evasion mechanisms. PI3/Elafin (Peptidase Inhibitor 3) is an endogenous serine protease inhibitor involved in epithelial protection against pathogens. PI3/Elafin’s role in CC is still poorly understood. Materials and Methods: In the present study, we addressed PI3/Elafin protein detection in 123 CC samples by immunohistochemistry and mRNA expression in several datasets available at Gene Expression Omnibus and The Cancer Genome Atlas platforms. Results: We observed that PI3/Elafin is consistently downregulated in CC samples when compared to normal tissue. Most of PI3/Elafin-positive samples exhibited this protein at the plasma membrane. Besides, high PI3/Elafin expression at the cellular membrane was more frequent in in situ stages I + II than in invasive cervical tumor stages III + IV. This indicates that PI3/Elafin expression is gradually lost during the CC progression. Of note, advanced stages of CC were more frequently associated with a more intense PI3/Elafin reaction in the nuclei and cytoplasm. Conclusion: Our results suggest that PI3/Elafin levels and subcellular localization may be used as a biomarker for CC severity.
Acta Cytologica

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评价Elafin免疫组织化学表达作为宫颈癌严重程度的标志

简介：宫颈癌（CC）发生的主要风险因素是人类乳头瘤病毒（HPV）致癌类型的持续感染。为了持续存在，HPV表现出过多的免疫逃逸机制。PI3 / Elafin（肽酶抑制剂3）是一种内源性丝氨酸蛋白酶抑制剂，参与上皮对病原体的保护。PI3 / Elafin在CC中的作用仍知之甚少。材料和方法：在本研究中，我们通过免疫组织化学和mRNA表达的方法解决了123个CC样品中PI3 / Elafin蛋白的检测问题，这些数据可在Gene Expression Omnibus和The Cancer Genome Atlas平台上获得。结果：我们观察到，与正常组织相比，CC样本中PI3 / Elafin一直被下调。大多数PI3 / Elafin阳性样品在质膜上均显示该蛋白。此外，在原位I + II期比在浸润性宫颈肿瘤III + IV期，细胞膜上高PI3 / Elafin表达更为频繁。这表明PI3 / Elafin表达在CC进展期间逐渐丢失。值得注意的是，CC的晚期与细胞核和细胞质中更强烈的PI3 / Elafin反应有关。结论：我们的结果表明PI3 / Elafin水平和亚细胞定位可能被用作CC严重程度的生物标志物。
细胞学学报