The expression level of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor type 1 is related to MIB-1 labeling index and predicts survival of glioblastoma patients

Although there are many reports on the clinical use of the MIB-1 labeling index (LI), which is a measure of proliferative activity in astrocytomas; its significance varies between studies. There are no known molecules that are directly linked to the MIB-1 LI in astrocytomas. We evaluated the clinical value of the MIB-1 LI in our human glioblastoma cases and determined the molecules that possibly influenced the MIB-1 LI. An immunohistochemical study of the MIB-1 protein was performed and MIB-1 LIs of 38 glioblastomas were determined. In the same cases, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), platelet-derived growth factor receptor-α (PDGFRA), and sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor type 1 (S1P1), which are known regulators of glioma cell proliferation, were detected and quantified by quantitative real-time-PCR or western blotting. Kaplan–Meier survival curves for 38 patients with glioblastomas showed that a high MIB-1 LI correlated with poor survival (P < 0.05). Among the molecules tested, only the low expression of S1P1 was significantly correlated with the high MIB-1 LI in glioblastomas (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that the S1P1 expression level was a significant prognostic factor. Our results indicate that the MIB-1 LI is an important prognostic factor in human glioblastomas. Furthermore, downregulation of S1P1 expression increases proliferative activity, and thus enhances the malignancy of glioblastomas, resulting in a poor survival.