Nakajima Kosei, Ota Hiroyoshi, Zhang Mu Xia, Sano Kenji, Honda Takayuki, Ishii Keiko, Nakayama Jun
Institute of Organ Transplants, Reconstructive Medicine and Tissue Engineering, Shinshu University Graduate School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.
J Histochem Cytochem. 2003 Dec;51(12):1689-98. doi: 10.1177/002215540305101213.
Gastric gland mucous cells produce class III mucin, which is also found in Brunner's glands and mucous glands along the pancreaticobiliary tract, and in metaplasia and adenocarcinomas differentiating towards gastric mucosa. Recently, we showed that class III mucin possesses GlcNAcalpha1-->4Galbeta-->R, formed by alpha1,4-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (alpha4GnT). Examining the tissue-specific expression of mucin epitopes is useful to clarify cell-lineage differentiation and to identify the site of origin of metastatic carcinomas in histological specimens. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections from esophagus, stomach, colon, liver, pancreas, lung, kidney, prostate, breast, and salivary gland resected for carcinoma, as well as salivary gland adenoma, colon adenoma, and metastatic adenocarcinoma of lymph nodes from stomach, pancreas, colon, and breast, were immunostained for MUC6, alpha4GnT, and GlcNAcalpha1-->4Galbeta-->R. These were all expressed in normal, metaplastic, and adenocarcinoma tissues of stomach, pancreas, and bile duct, and in pulmonary mucinous bronchioloalveolar carcinomas. Cells expressing alpha4GnT uniformly expressed GlcNAcalpha1-->4Galbeta-->R. Only MUC6 was expressed in normal salivary glands, pancreas, seminal vesicles, renal tubules, and colon adenomas, and in normal tissue and adenocarcinomas of prostate and breast. No tissues showed immunoreactivity for alpha4GnT alone. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) profiles were similar for metastatic carcinomas and primary carcinoma tissues. The IHC profiles for MUC6, alpha4GnT, and GlcNAcalpha1-->4Galbeta-->R may be diagnostically relevant.
胃腺黏液细胞产生III类黏蛋白，在十二指肠腺、沿胰胆管的黏液腺、向胃黏膜分化的化生组织及腺癌中也可发现该类黏蛋白。最近，我们发现III类黏蛋白含有由α1,4-N-乙酰氨基葡萄糖转移酶（α4GnT）形成的GlcNAcalpha1-->4Galbeta-->R。检测黏蛋白表位的组织特异性表达有助于阐明细胞谱系分化，并在组织学标本中识别转移癌的起源部位。对因癌症切除的食管、胃、结肠、肝、胰、肺、肾、前列腺、乳腺和唾液腺的福尔马林固定、石蜡包埋组织切片，以及唾液腺腺瘤、结肠腺瘤和来自胃、胰、结肠和乳腺的淋巴结转移性腺癌进行MUC6、α4GnT和GlcNAcalpha1-->4Galbeta-->R免疫染色。这些在胃、胰和胆管的正常、化生及腺癌组织以及肺黏液性细支气管肺泡癌中均有表达。表达α4GnT的细胞均一致表达GlcNAcalpha1-->4Galbeta-->R。仅MUC6在正常唾液腺、胰腺、精囊、肾小管和结肠腺瘤以及前列腺和乳腺的正常组织及腺癌中表达。没有组织仅对α4GnT显示免疫反应性。转移癌和原发性癌组织的免疫组织化学（IHC）图谱相似。MUC6、α4GnT和GlcNAcalpha1-->4Galbeta-->R的IHC图谱可能具有诊断意义。
