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. 2005 Aug 19;94(3):271–276. doi: 10.1111/j.1349-7006.2003.tb01432.x

Overexpression of the Wilms' tumor gene WT1 in human bone and soft‐tissue sarcomas

Takafumi Ueda 1, Yusuke Oji 2, Norifumi Naka 1, Yoko Nakano 2, Eigo Takahashi 2, Satoko Koga 2, Momotaro Asada 3, Ai Ikeba 2, Shin‐ichi Nakatsuka 4, Sakie Abeno 2, Naoki Hosen 3, Yasuhiko Tomita 4, Katsuyuki Aozasa 4, Noriyuki Tamai 1, Akira Myoui 1, Hideki Yoshikawa 1, Haruo Sugiyama 2,✉
PMCID: PMC11160304  PMID: 12824921

Abstract

The expression levels of the Wilms' tumor gene WT1 were examined in 36 cases of various types of human bone and soft‐tissue sarcomas using quantitative real‐time reverse transcription‐poly‐merase chain reaction (RT‐PCR). They included 12 malignant fibrous histiocytomas (MFH), 3 malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNST), 6 synovial sarcomas (SyS), 4 myxoid liposarco‐mas (MyLS), one angiosarcoma (ACS), one clear cell sarcoma (CCS), and 9 osteosarcomas (OS). Eleven (92%) of 12 MFH, 2 (67%) of 3 MPNST, all (100%) of 6 SyS, 2 (50%) of 4 MyLS, one ACS, one CCS, and 5 (56%) of 9 OS cases overexpressed WT1 in the range of 1.4×10‐3‐3.9×10‐1 levels (WT1 expression level in K562 leukemic cells was defined as 1.0). Thus, 28 (78%) out of 36 various types of human bone and soft‐tissue sarcomas overexpressed the WT1 gene. Immunohistochemical analysis showed positive staining for WT1 protein in all of 4 cases (one case each of MFH, MyLS, ACS and OS) with WT1 gene Overexpression detected by RT‐PCR analysis, demonstrating clearly that WT1 was expressed at the protein level in various types of human bone and soft‐tissue sarcomas. The direct sequencing analysis of the WT1 genomic DNA showed no mutations in any of 10 exons of the WT1 gene in 8 different sarcoma samples (3 MFH, one SyS, one MyLS, one ACS, and 2 OS). The present study demonstrates that various types of human bone and soft‐tissue sarcomas frequently overexpress the wild‐type WT1 gene, suggesting an important role of the wild‐type WT1 gene in tumorigenesis of various types of human bone and soft‐tissue sarcomas. (Cancer Sci 2003; 94: 271–276)

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