McCluggage W G, Maxwell P, Bharucha H
Department of Pathology, Royal Group of Hospitals Trust, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Int J Gynecol Pathol. 1998 Jan;17(1):29-35. doi: 10.1097/00004347-199801000-00006.
Metallothioneins (MTs) are ubiquitous low molecular weight proteins with a high affinity for heavy metal ions such as zinc, copper, cadmium, and platinum. Immunohistochemically detectable MT overexpression has been demonstrated in a variety of cancers, especially breast carcinoma. In this study, the immunohistochemical expression of MT in normal cervical squamous epithelia, cervical intraepithelial neoplasms (CINs), and invasive cervical squamous carcinomas was investigated. Immunohistochemical staining for proliferating cells using the MIB1 antibody was also performed. In normal squamous epithelia (n = 31), positive staining with MT was confined to basal and parabasal cells. In cases of koilocytosis (n = 14) and CIN I (n = 10), staining was also largely confined to basal and parabasal cells, with only occasional cases of CIN I exhibiting positivity within higher cell layers. Cases of CIN II (n = 14) showed positive staining largely confined to basal and parabasal cells, with staining of higher cell layers in a few cases. In the majority of cases of CIN III (n = 29), there was diffuse positive staining throughout the full epithelial thickness and, in almost all cases, positive staining was present above the basal and parabasal layers. Positive staining was present in 19 of 21 invasive squamous carcinomas. With MIB 1, positivity was confined to the parabasal layer in normal squamous epithelia. In cases of CIN, positive cells were present in progressively higher cell layers, in accordance with the grade of CIN. There was widespread positive staining in all cases of invasive squamous carcinoma. Overexpression of MT, demonstrated immunohistochemically, is associated with CIN III and invasive cervical squamous carcinoma, lesions which exhibit the highest proliferative activity, as shown by MIB1 immunostaining. MT overexpression in cervical squamous lesions appears to occur at some point along the spectrum of high grade CIN and may be related to cell proliferation.
金属硫蛋白（MTs）是普遍存在的低分子量蛋白质，对锌、铜、镉和铂等重金属离子具有高亲和力。免疫组织化学可检测到的MT过表达已在多种癌症中得到证实，尤其是乳腺癌。在本研究中，调查了MT在正常宫颈鳞状上皮、宫颈上皮内瘤变（CINs）和浸润性宫颈鳞状癌中的免疫组织化学表达。还使用MIB1抗体对增殖细胞进行了免疫组织化学染色。在正常鳞状上皮（n = 31）中，MT阳性染色局限于基底细胞和副基底细胞。在挖空细胞（n = 14）和CIN I（n = 10）病例中，染色也主要局限于基底细胞和副基底细胞，只有少数CIN I病例在较高细胞层呈现阳性。CIN II（n = 14）病例显示阳性染色主要局限于基底细胞和副基底细胞，少数病例的较高细胞层有染色。在大多数CIN III（n = 29）病例中，整个上皮厚度均有弥漫性阳性染色，几乎所有病例在基底和副基底层上方均有阳性染色。21例浸润性鳞状癌中有19例呈阳性染色。使用MIB 1时，正常鳞状上皮中的阳性局限于副基底层。在CIN病例中，阳性细胞出现在逐渐升高的细胞层中，与CIN的分级一致。所有浸润性鳞状癌病例均有广泛的阳性染色。免疫组织化学显示，MT过表达与CIN III和浸润性宫颈鳞状癌相关；如MIB1免疫染色所示，这些病变具有最高的增殖活性。宫颈鳞状病变中的MT过表达似乎发生在高级别CIN范围内的某个时间点，可能与细胞增殖有关。
