Table 1.
CAF markers.
| Gene Symbol | Protein Name | Expression in CAFs vs Normal Fibroblasts | Methods for Gene Expression Evaluation | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACTA2 | α-smooth actin (α-SMA) | Upregulated | RT-qPCR, IHC on tissue microarrays | [42,43] |
| ASPN | Asporin | Upregulated | Tag-based RNA profiling, microarray profiling, IHC, RT-qPCR | [38,44,45] |
| CAV1 | Caveolin-1 | Downregulated | Tag profiling, IHC, RT-qPCR | [38] |
| COL1A1 | Collagen Type-I | Upregulated | RT-qPCR, IHC | [42,43] |
| CXCL12 | Stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF1)/ (C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12) | Upregulated | Tag-profiling, RT-qPCR, ELISA | [38,46] |
| FAP | Fibroblast activation protein | Upregulated | IHC | [42] |
| FGF2, FGF7, FGF10 | Fibroblast growth factor-2/-7/-10 | Upregulated | RT-qPCR, Western Blot, IHC | [43,47,48] |
| FN1 | Fibronectin | Upregulated | Tag profiling, IHC, RT-qPCR | [38] |
| ITGA1 | Integrin-α1 (CD49a) | Upregulated | IHC | [49] |
| OGN | Osteoglycin | Upregulated | Tag-profiling, IHC, RT-qPCR | [38] |
| PDGFRB | Platelet-derived growth factor receptor β | Upregulated | Microarray profiling | [44,50] |
| POSTN | Periostin | Upregulated | Microarray profiling, IHC | [44] |
| S100A4 | Fibroblast-specific protein 1 (FSP1)/S100 Calcium Binding Protein A4 (S100A4) | Upregulated | Immunofluorescence, RT-qPCR, Western Blot | [51,52,53] |
| S100A6 | S100 Calcium Binding Protein A6 | Downregulated | Tag profiling, IHC, RT-qPCR | [38] |
| SPARC | Secreted Protein Acidic and Cysteine Rich | Up/downregulated | Microarray profiling, Tag-profiling | [38,44] |
| STC1 | Stanniocalcin 1 | Downregulated | Tag profiling, IHC, RT-qPCR | [38] |
| THY1 | Cluster of differentiation 90 (CD90) antigen | Upregulated | IHC | [54] |
| TNC | Tenascin C | Upregulated | RT-qPCR, IHC | [42,43] |
| VIM | Vimentin | Upregulated | IHC | [42] |
The table reports the main genes coding for cellular or secreted stromal proteins, whose expression differs between cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and normal fibroblasts in PCa. Gene expression has been evaluated at the RNA level (microarray profiling, tag-based RNA profiling, reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR)), and/or protein level (immunohistochemistry (IHC), Western blot) in the reported publications. Genes upregulated in CAFs can be considered CAF markers, even though their expression may not be restricted to fibroblasts.