Expression of EGFL7 in Human Gliomas and Its Correlation with Glioma Grade

ObjectiveTo investigate the expression of EGFL7 in human glioma tissues. Methods Fresh tissues of 36 patients with glioma，including 21 cases of low malignance (grade Ⅰ~Ⅱ) and 15 cases of high malignance (grade Ⅲ~Ⅳ)，were used in the present study.The expression of EGFL7 mRNA in these glioma tissues was examined by RT-PCR. Other 45 cases of formalin-fixed，paraffin-embedded specimens of glioma，including low 24 cases of malignance (grade Ⅰ~Ⅱ) and 21 cases of high malignance (grade Ⅲ~Ⅳ)，were used to assess the expression status of EGFL7 protein by immunohistochemical staining. The correlation between EGFL7 expression and glioma grades was investigated. Results The expression of EGFL7 mRNA and protein with human gliomas was detected. EGFL7 protein located in plasm of tumor cells and endothelial cells，and its expression correlated directly with the degree of malignancy(t＝4.399，P<0.01).However，it was not detected in normal brain.ConslusionTumor cells and endothelial cells in human glioma tissues can express EGFL7 gene，and the level of EGFL7 expression directly correlates with the degree of malignancy. It suggested that EGFL7 may contribute to the rapid growth and invasion of gliomas.