Evaluation of mTOR, 4E-BP1, eIF4E, pAKT and HER-2 expression and its predictive potential in equine squamous cell carcinoma

• Grant number: 17/15976-4
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): October 01, 2017
• Effective date (End): September 30, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine
• Principal researcher: Renee Laufer Amorim
• Grantee: Julia Peres Do Souto Garcia
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Equine squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is considered one of the most frequent tumors in in horses, and represents a great therapeutic challenge. In addition, equine SCC shares histological, molecular and etiological characteristics with SCC in humans. In both species, SCC from the epidermis located on the penis are associated with the presence of papillomavirus infection, the accumulation of smegma between the foreskin and glans and UV radiation is not associated with the development of this tumor at this location. However, prolonged exposure to UV radiation is the main inducer of pre-neoplastic lesions and consequent evolution for SCC located in the ocular and labial regions. In equines, many studies focused on evaluating the presence of viral particles in paraffin samples, and few studies had evaluated proteins expression associated with the development and progression of SCC. In humans the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway is associated with the development and progression of carcinomas of the penis and head and neck. However, in horses, no previous study evaluated the proteins of this pathway. Due to the importance of these equine neoplasms and the relevance of the equine as a comparative study model for the disease in man, this study aims to evaluate the expression AKT, mTOR, HER-2, eIF4E and 4E-BP1 in equine SCC from penis and head and neck region. For this, we will evaluate the presence of the papillomavirus in the different samples through the PCR technique and associate with the histopathological classification of the tumors (well, moderately and poorly differentiated) and immunohistochemical pattern of PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway proteins. In addition, we will perform cell culture of penile SCC and head and neck samples to evaluate the predictive potential of AKT, PI3K and mTOR proteins in the SCC of horses. (AU)