Expression of Cyr61, CTGF, and WISP-1 Correlates with Clinical Features of Lung Cancer

Background:CCN family, comprising six members (Cyr61, CTGF, Nov, WISP-1, WISP-2, WISP-3), is involved in the stimulation of cell proliferation, migration, adhesion, angiogenesis, and tumorigenesis. Several studies have shown that expression of Cyr61, CTGF, and WISP-1 affects the tumorigenic potential of lung cancer cells in vitro. However, the correlation of expression of CCN family proteins and clinical features of lung cancer remains unknown.Methodology and Principal Findings:In the present work, we quantified the mRNA levels of Cyr61, CTGF, and WISP-1 in samples from 60 primary lung cancers and their matched normal lung tissues by quantitative real-time PCR assay. Downregulation of the Cyr61 and CTGF genes and upregulation of the WISP-1 gene were found in primary lung cancers compared to the paired normal lung tissues. Immunohistochemistry analysis also disclosed a similar expression pattern of Cyr61, CTGF, and WISP-1 protein in paired lung cancer tissues. Statistical analysis revealed significant associations between expression of either Cyr61 or CTGF with tumor stage, tumor histology, metastasis, smoking, and family history at diagnosis. A significant correlation also existed between WISP-1 expression with tumor histology, and patient age. Moreover, expression levels of Cyr61 and CTGF correlated with survival of the lung-cancer patients.Conclusions:Our results suggest that Cyr61, CTGF, and WISP-1 might be implicated in the development and progression of primary lung cancers, and their levels might serve as valuable prognostic markers, as well as potential targets for therapeutic intervention.