p53 tumor suppressor protein overexpression in osteogenic tumors of dogs

Alterations in the p53 tumor suppressor gene have been implicated in the genesis and/or progression of the majority of human cancers, including osteosarcoma. Stabilization of the protein by mutation or interaction with other proteins prolongs its half-life, rendering it detectable by immunohistochemistry. Osteosarcoma is the most common primary canine bone tumor and is characterized by frequent early metastases. Multilobular tumors of bone involve primarily flat bones of the head and are low-grade malignancies with lower metastatic potential. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of p53 protein overexpression in 106 osteogenic tumors of dogs using an indirect immunohistochemical method and to compare p53 overexpression between tumors with different clinical behavior. A polyclonal p53 antibody (CM-1) served as the primary antibody. Tumors were scored based upon an estimate of the percentage of tumor cells stained. Significant differences in the prevalence of overexpression were observed between osteosarcomas (72%) and multilobular tumors of bone (20%, P = 0.0020). Osteosarcomas of the appendicular skeleton had a significantly higher prevalence of p53 overexpression (84%) than did osteosarcomas of the axial skeleton (56%, P = 0.0060). Our results show that p53 tumor suppressor protein is overexpressed in the majority of canine osteosarcomas. The higher prevalence of overexpression in osteosarcomas versus multilobular tumors of bone and in osteosarcomas of the appendicular skeleton versus those of the axial skeleton suggests that alterations in p53 expression correlate with highly aggressive tumor behavior.