Luteinizing Hormone Receptor Is Expressed in Testicular Germ Cell Tumors: Possible Implications for Tumor Growth and Prognosis
Luteinizing hormone/choriogonadotropin receptor (LHCGR) regulates gonadal testosterone production and recent studies have suggested a growth-regulatory role in somatic cancers. Here, we established that LHCGR is expressed in a fraction of seminoma cells and germ cell neoplasia in situ (GCNIS), and t...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2020-05-01
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| Series: | Cancers |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/12/6/1358 |
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| author | Mette Lorenzen John Erik Nielsen Christine Hjorth Andreassen Anders Juul Birgitte Grønkær Toft Ewa Rajpert-De Meyts Gedske Daugaard Martin Blomberg Jensen |
| author_facet | Mette Lorenzen John Erik Nielsen Christine Hjorth Andreassen Anders Juul Birgitte Grønkær Toft Ewa Rajpert-De Meyts Gedske Daugaard Martin Blomberg Jensen |
| author_sort | Mette Lorenzen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Luteinizing hormone/choriogonadotropin receptor (LHCGR) regulates gonadal testosterone production and recent studies have suggested a growth-regulatory role in somatic cancers. Here, we established that LHCGR is expressed in a fraction of seminoma cells and germ cell neoplasia in situ (GCNIS), and the seminoma-derived cell line TCam2 released LHCGR into the medium. LH treatment induced proliferation of TCam2 cells in vitro, while hCG treatment induced a non-significant 51% increase in volume of tumors formed in a TCam2 xenograft model. A specific ELISA was used to detect a soluble LHCGR in serum. Serum concentrations of soluble LHCGR could not distinguish 4 patients with GCNIS and 216 patients with testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) from 297 infertile or 148 healthy young men. Instead, serum LHCGR levels were significantly higher in 112 patients with a seminoma >5 cm or elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) compared with men harboring smaller seminomas <2 cm or normal LDH levels. Serum LHCGR levels in TGCT patients could not predict relapse irrespective whether determined pre- or post-orchiectomy. Combined, these novel findings suggest that LHCGR may be directly involved in the progression and growth of seminomas, and our retrospective pilot study suggests that serum LHCGR may have some prognostic value in men with seminoma. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T19:34:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0815cf69c6824c1297155884ddbf1c81 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6694 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T19:34:20Z |
| publishDate | 2020-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cancers |
| spelling | doaj.art-0815cf69c6824c1297155884ddbf1c812023-11-20T01:48:53ZengMDPI AGCancers2072-66942020-05-01126135810.3390/cancers12061358Luteinizing Hormone Receptor Is Expressed in Testicular Germ Cell Tumors: Possible Implications for Tumor Growth and PrognosisMette Lorenzen0John Erik Nielsen1Christine Hjorth Andreassen2Anders Juul3Birgitte Grønkær Toft4Ewa Rajpert-De Meyts5Gedske Daugaard6Martin Blomberg Jensen7Group of Skeletal, Mineral and Gonadal Endocrinology, Department of Growth and Reproduction, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, DenmarkDepartment of Growth and Reproduction, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, DenmarkGroup of Skeletal, Mineral and Gonadal Endocrinology, Department of Growth and Reproduction, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, DenmarkDepartment of Growth and Reproduction, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, DenmarkDepartment of Pathology, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, DenmarkDepartment of Growth and Reproduction, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, DenmarkDepartment of Oncology, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, DenmarkGroup of Skeletal, Mineral and Gonadal Endocrinology, Department of Growth and Reproduction, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, DenmarkLuteinizing hormone/choriogonadotropin receptor (LHCGR) regulates gonadal testosterone production and recent studies have suggested a growth-regulatory role in somatic cancers. Here, we established that LHCGR is expressed in a fraction of seminoma cells and germ cell neoplasia in situ (GCNIS), and the seminoma-derived cell line TCam2 released LHCGR into the medium. LH treatment induced proliferation of TCam2 cells in vitro, while hCG treatment induced a non-significant 51% increase in volume of tumors formed in a TCam2 xenograft model. A specific ELISA was used to detect a soluble LHCGR in serum. Serum concentrations of soluble LHCGR could not distinguish 4 patients with GCNIS and 216 patients with testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) from 297 infertile or 148 healthy young men. Instead, serum LHCGR levels were significantly higher in 112 patients with a seminoma >5 cm or elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) compared with men harboring smaller seminomas <2 cm or normal LDH levels. Serum LHCGR levels in TGCT patients could not predict relapse irrespective whether determined pre- or post-orchiectomy. Combined, these novel findings suggest that LHCGR may be directly involved in the progression and growth of seminomas, and our retrospective pilot study suggests that serum LHCGR may have some prognostic value in men with seminoma.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/12/6/1358testicular germ cell tumortesticular cancerluteinizing hormone/choriogonadotropin receptorluteinizing hormonehuman chorionic gonadotropin |
| spellingShingle | Mette Lorenzen John Erik Nielsen Christine Hjorth Andreassen Anders Juul Birgitte Grønkær Toft Ewa Rajpert-De Meyts Gedske Daugaard Martin Blomberg Jensen Luteinizing Hormone Receptor Is Expressed in Testicular Germ Cell Tumors: Possible Implications for Tumor Growth and Prognosis Cancers testicular germ cell tumor testicular cancer luteinizing hormone/choriogonadotropin receptor luteinizing hormone human chorionic gonadotropin |
| title | Luteinizing Hormone Receptor Is Expressed in Testicular Germ Cell Tumors: Possible Implications for Tumor Growth and Prognosis |
| title_full | Luteinizing Hormone Receptor Is Expressed in Testicular Germ Cell Tumors: Possible Implications for Tumor Growth and Prognosis |
| title_fullStr | Luteinizing Hormone Receptor Is Expressed in Testicular Germ Cell Tumors: Possible Implications for Tumor Growth and Prognosis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Luteinizing Hormone Receptor Is Expressed in Testicular Germ Cell Tumors: Possible Implications for Tumor Growth and Prognosis |
| title_short | Luteinizing Hormone Receptor Is Expressed in Testicular Germ Cell Tumors: Possible Implications for Tumor Growth and Prognosis |
| title_sort | luteinizing hormone receptor is expressed in testicular germ cell tumors possible implications for tumor growth and prognosis |
| topic | testicular germ cell tumor testicular cancer luteinizing hormone/choriogonadotropin receptor luteinizing hormone human chorionic gonadotropin |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/12/6/1358 |
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