A rapid technique for the fluorescent location of pleomorphic adenoma cells in frozen sections of human salivary glands.

Both acinar cells and pleomorphic adenoma cells possess a cell surface protease, guanidinobenzoatase (GB) which can be located with a fluorescent probe for the active centre of this enzyme. We have developed a rapid, cheap, fluorescent technique for the differential location of pleomorphic adenoma cells and acinar cells in frozen sections of salivary glands. The fluorescence of other cells (which also possess GB) is selectively quenched, such that only the acinar and pleomorphic adenoma cells are visualised by fluorescent microscopy.