[Uroplakin III, a specific membrane protein of urothelial umbrella cells, as a histological markers for metastatic transitional cell carcinomas].

We have investigated, by immunohistochemical staining of various paraffin-embedded carcinoma sections, the tissue-specific expression of uroplakin III--a recently characterized constituent glycoprotein (47 kD) of the asymmetrical unit membrane which forms plaques on apical surface of urothelial umbrella cells. The apical membrane pattern of normal urothelial umbrella cells was in part maintained in papillary transitional cell carcinomas (TCCs). In addition, in both papillary and invasive TCCs, variously sized lumina exhibited positive membrane staining of uroplakin III. In some cases, basal cell membrane staining was seen. Positive reactions (which sometimes were very focal) were noted in 16/18 papillary non-invasive TCCs (89%), 21/37 invasive TCCs (57%) and 12/15 TCC metastases (80%). Non-TCC carcinomas of different origin (n = 63) were consistently negative. These results show that uroplakin III may serve as a useful marker for TCCs, revealing specific urothelial differentiation features to be expressed in such tumors even after metastasis. This marker, while of only intermediate sensitivity, is highly specific, thus opening interesting histodiagnostic possibilities in the case of unclear carcinoma metastases.