Differential reaction of secretory and non-secretory proteins in hormone-treated Dunning tumor.

Tumor cells from of the Dunning R-3327 PAP tumor were grown in vivo in the flank region of male Copenhagen rats for 4 months. Untreated control animals, castrated animals, and untreated or castrated animals supplemented with testosterone and estramustine (alone or in combination) bearing tumors were used for immunocytochemical studies of the tumor cells. Antibodies against the following secretory proteins were applied to paraffin sections of formalin-fixed tissue: anti-SVS II, anti-PBP, anti-transglutaminase, anti-acid phosphatase (isoenzymes, isoelectric points [pI] 5.6, 7.1, 8.0), non-secretory proteins comprised antiglucocorticoid-receptor, and antibodies against extracellular matrix proteins and intermediate filaments. A differential expression of marker proteins subsequent to the various treatments was observed immunohistochemically. Castration induced a loss of secretory activity, an increase in keratin-immunoreactive cells, and regressive activity in the secretory cells. Immunoreactivity of the glucocorticoid receptor in the nuclei of the basal cells was also decreased. Testosterone substitution only partially restored secretory activity of tumor cells in castrated animals. In experiments where estramustine had been administered to normal or castrated animals, metaplastic transformation of the epithelium, focal reduction, or increase of secretory and/or regressive activity and persistence of glucocorticoid receptor-like immunoreactivity was observed. The findings indicate that different hormonal situations provide conditions for the development of rather heterogeneous reaction patterns of different tumor cells, allowing partial regression of individual clones of tumor cells along with stimulation of others.