Fetuin, a major serum glycoprotein secreted by the liver, has been shown to play a role in bone development, calcium homeostasis and insulin sensitivity. In an earlier study, we demonstrated that bovine fetuin can bind to the plasma membrane of squamous and spindle-cell carcinoma cells. To test our hypothesis that fetuin plays a causal role in skin tumorigenesis, fetuin-A null and wild-type mice were challenged using a two-stage chemically-induced carcinogenesis protocol with DMBA (7,12-dimethylbenzo(a)anthracene) as the initiator, followed by twice weekly treatments with the tumor promoter TPA (12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate). Tumors that developed on fetuin-A null animals grew at a similar rate as those arising on their wild-type counterparts. Absence of fetuin-A did not alter tumor onset or conversion to squamous cell carcinoma, but reduced the number of tumors per mouse by 30%. This correlated with a decrease in tumor burden in fetuin-A null animals compared to wild-type weeks 18-22 from tumor onset. In addition, tumors arising on fetuin-A null mice had a diminished proliferative index with no change in cell survival or neovascularization in comparison with wild-type tumors. Our results suggest that fetuin-A contributes to early stages of skin tumorigenesis.

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