Barath P, Fishbein M C, Cao J, Berenson J, Helfant R H, Forrester J S
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 90048.
Am J Pathol. 1990 Sep;137(3):503-9.
We used immunohistochemistry to detect tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and in situ hybridization to detect TNF messenger RNA (mRNA) in the intimal mesenchymal-appearing cells and in the medial smooth muscle cells of human atherosclerotic arteries. Medial smooth muscle cells showed localization of immunoreactive TNF on the cell surface and did not express TNF mRNA. Conversely, in intimal mesenchymal-appearing cells, TNF was localized in the cytoplasm and TNF mRNA was expressed by in situ hybridization. Thus 89% of intimal cells were immunohistochemically positive for TNF, 96% of them were positive by in situ hybridization, and 76% were positive for the smooth muscle cell marker, HHF35. Our results suggest that intimal mesenchymal-appearing cells are mostly, but not exclusively, derived from smooth muscle cells. These cells express TNF, whereas the medial smooth muscle cells in the atherosclerotic human arteries do not. The expression of TNF by these mesenchymal-appearing cells may have implications regarding the evolution of the atherosclerotic plaque.
我们采用免疫组织化学方法检测肿瘤坏死因子（TNF），并运用原位杂交技术检测人动脉粥样硬化动脉内膜间充质样细胞和中膜平滑肌细胞中的TNF信使核糖核酸（mRNA）。中膜平滑肌细胞显示免疫反应性TNF定位于细胞表面，且不表达TNF mRNA。相反，在内膜间充质样细胞中，TNF定位于细胞质中，且通过原位杂交检测到TNF mRNA的表达。因此，89%的内膜细胞TNF免疫组织化学检测呈阳性，其中96%通过原位杂交呈阳性，76%对平滑肌细胞标志物HHF35呈阳性。我们的结果表明，内膜间充质样细胞大多但并非全部来源于平滑肌细胞。这些细胞表达TNF，而动脉粥样硬化的人动脉中的中膜平滑肌细胞则不表达。这些间充质样细胞表达TNF可能与动脉粥样硬化斑块的演变有关。
