Quantum dot-based immunofluorescent imaging and quantitative detection of DNER and prognostic value in prostate cancer

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Wang, Lijun^a | Wu, Qi^a | Zhu, Shan^a | Li, Zhiyu^a | Yuan, Jingping^b | Liu, Lin^b | Yu, Dehua^{b; c} | Xu, Zhiliang^a | Li, Juanjuan^a | Sun, Shengrong^{a; *} | Wang, Changhua^{c; *}

Affiliations: [a] Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China | [b] Department of Pathology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China | [c] Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding authors: Shengrong Sun, Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, 99 Zhang Zhidong Road, Wuhan 430060, Hubei, China. E-mail: sun137@sina.com.ChanghuaWang,DepartmentofPathophysiology,SchoolofBasicMedicalSciences,WuhanUniversity,Wuhan430060,Hubei,China.E-mail:chwang0525@whu.edu.cn.

Abstract: DNER, Delta/Notch-like epidermal growth factor (EGF)-related receptor, is a neuron-specific transmembrane protein carrying extracellular EGF-like repeats. The prognostic value of DNER in prostate cancer has not been evaluated. Here we showed that the up-regulation of DNER protein was observed in prostate cancer detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and quantum dot-based immunofluorescent imaging and quantitative analytical system (QD-IIQAS). However, a higher accuracy of measurements of DNER expression in prostate cancer was found by QD-IIQAS than by IHC (AUC = 0.817 and 0.617, respectively). DNER was significantly higher in patients undergoing bone metastasis (P = 0.045, RR = 3.624). In addition, DNER overexpression was associated with poor overall survival (OS) (P = 0.028, adjusted HR = 8.564) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) (P = 0.042, adjusted HR = 3.474) in patients suffering prostate cancer. Thus, QD-IIQAS is an easy and accurate method for assessing DNER and the DNER expression was an independent prognostic factor in prostate cancer.

Keywords: Quantum dot-based immunofluorescent imaging, DNER, prognostic value, prostate cancer

DOI: 10.3233/CBM-171107

Journal: Cancer Biomarkers, vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 683-691, 2018