Expression and significance of B7-H3 and Tie-2 in the tumor vasculature of clear cell renal carcinoma

Figures & data

Figure 1 Immunohistochemical detection of vascular B7-H3 and Tie-2 expression in ccRCC (×400). (A) Vascular distribution (CD34 labeling) in adjacent normal renal tissues showing that renal corpuscle have abundant blood vessels and that blood vessels are scattered in the renal parenchyma. (B) B7-H3 expression was observed in the renal tubular epithelia of adjacent normal tissues, but no expression was detected in glomerular blood vessels and renal parenchymal vessels. (C) Tie-2 expression was found in the renal tubular epithelium and glomerular vascular epithelium of adjacent normal tissues. (D) Low vascular B7-H3 expression in ccRCC tissues. (E) High vascular B7-H3 expression in ccRCC tissues. (F) Low vascular Tie-2 expression in ccRCC tissues. (G) High vascular Tie-2 expression in ccRCC tissues. (H) CD34-labeled MVD in ccRCC tissues. Scale bar 40 µm.

Abbreviations: ccRCC, clear cell renal carcinoma; MVD, microvessel density.

Table 1 Vascular B7-H3 and Tie-2 expressions in ccRCC and correlations with clinicopathological parameters

Parameter	Case (n)	Vascular B7-H3 expression		P-value	Vascular Tie-2 expression		P-value
		Low	High		Low	High
Age (years)
≤60	49	16	33	0.949	22	27	0.442
>60	33	11	22		12	21
Gender
Male	55	18	37	0.956	23	32	0.926
Female	27	9	18		11	16
Tumor size (cm)
≤7	51	20	31	0.120	21	30	0.946
>7	31	7	24		13	18
T stage
≤T2	62	25	37	0.012	32	30	0.001
>T2	20	2	18		2	18
Lymph node metastasis
N0	63	25	38	0.018	31	32	0.010
N1	19	2	17		3	16
Distant metastasis
M0	74	27	47	0.048	32	42	0.459
M1	8	0	8		2	6
2010 TNM stage groupings
I–II	56	23	33	0.021	29	27	0.005
III–IV	26	4	22		5	21
Nuclear grade
G1–2	57	24	33	0.008	26	31	0.249
G3–4	25	3	22		8	17

Abbreviation: ccRCC, clear cell renal carcinoma.

Table 2 Correlation between B7-H3 and Tie-2 expression in ccRCC

Tie-2	B7-H3		r	P-value
	Low	High
Low	17	17	0.306	0.005
High	10	38

Abbreviation: ccRCC, clear cell renal carcinoma.

Table 3 MVD in ccRCC and correlations with clinicopathological parameters

Parameter	Case (n)	MVD (mean ± SD)	t	P-value
Age (years)
≤60	49	93.71±21.78	1.017	0.312
>60	33	88.36±25.53
Gender
Male	55	90.71±22.54	0.469	0.640
Female	27	93.30±25.30
Tumor size (cm)
≤7	51	89.94±22.78	−0.804	0.424
>7	31	94.23±24.42
T stage
≤T2	62	87.45±23.27	−2.933	0.004
>T2	20	104.30±19.02
Lymph node metastasis
N0	63	87.76±23.75	−2.792	0.007
N1	19	104.16±17.14
Distant metastasis
M0	74	88.93±22.38	−3.280	0.002
M1	8	115.88±18.49
2010 TNM stage groupings
I and II	56	84.39±21.57	−4.546	<0.001
III and IV	26	107.00±19.53
Nuclear grade
G1–2	57	87.91±23.12	−2.185	0.032
G3–4	25	99.88±22.15

Abbreviations: ccRCC, clear cell renal carcinoma; MVD, microvessel density.

Table 4 Relationship between B7-H3, Tie-2 and MVD (mean ± SD) in ccRCC

Group	Cases (n)	MVD	t	P-value
Low B7-H3	27	82.07±24.31	−2.673	0.009
High B7-H3	55	96.22±21.61
Low Tie-2	34	82.21±24.56	−3.224	0.002
High Tie-2	48	98.19±20.21

Abbreviations: ccRCC, clear cell renal carcinoma; MVD, microvessel density.

Figure 2 Immunofluorescence staining and laser scanning confocal microscopy revealed B7-H3 (red), Tie-2 (green), and CD34 (green) expression in vascular endothelial cells of ccRCC (arrows). Coexpression of B7-H3/Tie-2 and B7-H3/CD34 was also observed in ccRCC vascular endothelia (arrows).

Abbreviation: ccRCC, clear cell renal carcinoma.