2 research outputs found
Fascin in ovarian epithelial tumors
Fascin contributes to the formation of actinbased
protrusions involved in cell migration. Fascin has
emerged as a prognostic marker in some carcinomas. We
examined ovarian neoplasms to check any correlation
between fascin expression and established
clinicopathologic parameters.
Fascin immunoreactivity was semiquantitavely
scored in 100 ovarian tumors (62 carcinomas, 15
borderline tumors and 23 cystadenomas). Double
staining for fascin and Ki-67 was performed in selected
carcinomas. Western Blotting was done in frozen
samples.
Fascin immunoreactivity was highest in carcinomas,
lowest in cystadenomas and intermediate in borderline
tumors; these results were in accordance with those from
Western blotting analysis. Fascin was statistically
increased in carcinomas of advanced stage and in serous
carcinomas. It was also increased in metastatic foci and
in tumor foci with lower Ki-67 labeling.
We conclude that in ovarian tumors fascin is
associated with certain features of increased tumor
aggressiveness. Future studies could determine if fascin
may become a routinely helpful marker in gynecological
pathology or clinical oncology
Decidualized and pre-decidualized normal endometrial stromal cells produce more O-linked N-acetylglucosamine containing epitope H than non-decidualized normal endometrial stromal cells
The epitope H contains an O-linked Nacetylglucosamine
residue in a specific conformation
and/or environment recognized by the monoclonal
antibody H (mAbH). mAbH stains two bands with Mr
x10-3 of 209 and 62 in lysates of cultured rat astrocytes.
In addition, in extracts of cultured MCF-7 breast
carcinoma cell line cells it stains cytokeratin 8 and five
polypeptides originating from Triton X-100-soluble (Mr
x10-3 of 232, 67 and 37) and from the Triton X-100-
insoluble (Mr x10-3 of 51 and 50) fractions, respectively.
In our previous studies we used the mAbH to investigate
by immunostaining the expression of the epitope H in
normal human brains, human brains with a variety of
lesions, astrocytic tumors, infiltrating ductal breast
carcinomas, fibroadenomas, and mitochondria-rich
normal, metaplastic and neoplastic cells. In order to gain
further insight into the expression patterns of the epitope
H in human tissues we used the mAbH to investigate the
immunohistochemical expression of the epitope H in
normal human endometrium, including 30 cases of
proliferative endometrium, 30 cases of early secretory
endometrium, 30 cases of mid secretory endometrium,
30 cases of late secretory endometrium and 30 cases of
decidual tissues. The main results were the following: 1)
The decidual stromal cells presented in all cases high
cytoplasmic expression of the epitope H; 2) The predecidual
stromal cells presented in all cases of late
secretory endometrium significant cytoplasmic expression of the epitope H ranging from moderate to high expression; 3) The non pre-decidual stromal cells of
the functional endometrial layer presented in all cases
insignificant cytoplasmic expression of the epitope H
ranging from null to low expression; 4) The stromal cells
of the basal layer of the endometrium and decidua did
not express the epitope H in any case; 5) The
endometrial stromal granulocytes did not express the
epitope H in any case and 6) The blood vessel wall cells
(endothelial and smooth muscle) of the endometrium
through the whole duration of the menstrual cycle and of
the decidua presented high cytoplasmic expression of the
epitope H. It is concluded that decidualized and predecidualized
human normal endometrial stromal cells
show increased expression of the O-linked Nacetylglucosamine
containing epitope H compared to
non-decidualized endometrial stromal cells. These
findings suggest that the expression of the epitope H
may be under positive progesteronic control in normal
human endometrium. Further investigation of the
antigens bearing the epitope H might help to gain further
insight into the histophysiology and the pathology of
human endometrium