Cavin-2 is a specific marker for detection of well-differentiated liposarcoma.

Caveolae are cholesterol enriched invaginations of the plasma membrane involved in a variety of processes,
including glucose and fatty acids absorption, cell transduction and mechanoprotection. The
biogenesis and function of caveolae depend on the activity of Caveolin (Cav-1, -2 and -3) and Cavin
(Cavin-1, -2, -3 and -4) protein families. Since the membrane Cavin-2 protein was reported to play a key
role in caveolae formation of adipocytes, in this work we have used a multidisciplinary approach to
investigate its expression in liposarcoma (LPS), an adipocytic soft tissue sarcoma affecting adults. Data
obtained through an in silico and immunohistochemical analysis suggest that Cavin-2, along with Cavin-
1, Cav-1 and Cav-2, is mostly expressed in the least aggressive LPS subtype, namely well-differentiated
LPS, while is almost undetectable in the more aggressive myxoid, pleomorphic and dedifferentiated
LPS tumors. Accordingly, in vitro analysis confirmed that Cavin-2 expression increases in LPS tumor cell
lines during differentiation as compared to proliferation, as detected by immunoblotting and immunofluorescence
analysis. Overall, these data suggest that Cavin-2 represents a useful marker for discriminating
the degree of differentiation in LPS tumors.