Natali P G, Nicotra M R, Di Renzo M F, Prat M, Bigotti A, Cavaliere R, Comoglio P M
Regina Elena Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy.
Br J Cancer. 1993 Oct;68(4):746-50. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1993.422.
The c-MET proto-oncogene encodes the receptor for the Hepatocyte Growth Factor/Scatter Factor, which is known to mediate mitogenic, motogenic and invasive responses of several cell types. We have analysed by immunohistochemistry and biochemically the expression of c-MET in benign and malignant melanocytic lesions. The Met/HGF receptor which in the melanocytic lineage displays the structural features of the authentic receptor was undetectable in tissue melanocytes and in nevocytic nevi. Only four out of 23 primary melanomas scored positive. Expression was increased to a significant level in 17 out of the 44 metastatic lesions examined. The c-MET expression was homogeneous in multiple metastases from the same patients. Comparative analyses showed both lack of correlation with the expression of the tumour progression associated ICAM-1 adhesion molecule and, in 23% of cases, co-expression with the c-KIT encoded receptor. These findings show that the c-MET gene is expressed at late stages of melanoma progression and suggest that the presence of Met/HGF receptor may contribute to the acquisition of an invasive phenotype.
c-MET原癌基因编码肝细胞生长因子/分散因子的受体，已知该受体介导多种细胞类型的促有丝分裂、促运动和侵袭反应。我们通过免疫组织化学和生化方法分析了c-MET在良性和恶性黑素细胞病变中的表达。在组织黑素细胞和痣细胞痣中未检测到在黑素细胞谱系中显示出真实受体结构特征的Met/HGF受体。23例原发性黑色素瘤中只有4例呈阳性。在所检查的44例转移病变中，有17例的表达增加到显著水平。同一患者的多个转移灶中c-MET表达是均匀的。比较分析表明，其与肿瘤进展相关的ICAM-1黏附分子的表达缺乏相关性，并且在23%的病例中与c-KIT编码的受体共表达。这些发现表明，c-MET基因在黑色素瘤进展的晚期表达，提示Met/HGF受体的存在可能有助于获得侵袭性表型。
