title: Alpha-fetoprotein, alpha-1-antitrypsin, and transferrin in gonadal yolk-sac tumours.
abstract: Since gonadal yolk-sac tumour in pure form or as a component of mixed germ cell tumour is in the majority of patients highly malignant, its histological recognition is of great prognostic importance. Yolk-sac tumour may assume various different histological guises, which have hitherto caused considerable terminological confusion; the present paper is aimed at correlating these morphological diversities with biochemical features which are consistent with yolk-sac differentiation. Using an enzyme-bridge immunoperoxidase technique, a series of 16 gonadal germ cell tumours with a yolk-sac component were screened for the presence of alpha-fetoprotein, alpha-1-antitrypsin, and transferrin. These proteins, normally produced by human yolk sac, were demonstrable in all the morphological patterns of yolk-sac tumour we have previously described. Six malignant non-germ cell tumours were submitted to the same investigations, and no evidence of the three protein markers was found in five; one tumour, however, an oat cell carcinoma of the bronchus, stained positively for transferrin.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D008649:Mesonephroma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D014168:Transferrin / Q000378:metabolism; D000515:alpha 1-Antitrypsin / Q000378:metabolism; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D014168:Transferrin; D000515:alpha 1-Antitrypsin; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins