Low expressions of EHD2 and E-cadherin correlate with a poor prognosis for clear cell renal cell carcinoma

To explore roles of expressions of EHD2 and E-cadherin in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC).


Methods: Four couples of fresh ccRCC tissues and adjacent non-cancerous tissues were collected to evaluate the expression of EHD2 and E-cadherin protein by Western blotting. A total of 65 paraffin-embedded renal ccRCC tissues were collected, and immunohistochemical assay was used to detect the expression of EHD2 and E-cadherin in the samples. The correlation between their expression and clinical and pathological indicators of ccRCC was analyzed, and the relationship between EHD2 and E-cadherin proteins and prognosis for patients with ccRCC was also explored.


Results: The results of Western blotting showed that the expression levels of EHD2 and E-cadherin were low in 4 ccRCC tissues compared with the adjacent noncancerous tissues. Immunohistochemical results revealed that the expressions of EHD2 and E-cadherin were higher in the localized ccRCC tissues than those in the metastatic ccRCC tissues; the expression levels of EHD2 and E-cadherin were decreased, while the TNM staging and Fuhrman grade were increased (P<0.05 or P<0.01). There was positive correlation between the expressions of EHD2 and E-cadherin in ccRCC (r=0.390, P<0.01). The progression-free survival in ccRCC patients with lower expression of both EHD2 and E-cadherin was better than that in ccRCC patients with higher expressions of EHD2 and E-cadherin (P<0.05). 


Conclusion: The low expressions of EHD2 and E-cadherin are the potential indicators for the ccRCC patients with poor prognosis.