Old proteins - new locations: myoglobin, haemoglobin, neuroglobin and cytoglobin in solid tumours and cancer cells

Aim:  The unexpected identification of myoglobin (MB) in breast cancer prompted us to evaluate the clinico-pathological value of MB, haemoglobin (HB) and cytoglobin (CYGB) in human breast carcinoma cases. We further screened for the presence of neuroglobin (NGB) and CYGB in tumours of diverse origin, and assessed the O2-response of HB, MB and CYGB mRNAs in cancer cell lines, to better elicit the links between this ectopic globin expression and tumour hypoxia. Methods:  Breast tumours were analysed by immunohistochemistry for HB, MB and CYGB and correlated with clinico-pathological parameters. Screening for CYGB and NGB mRNA expression in tumour entities was performed by hybridization, quant…