Expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha cachectin in primary brain tumors of astrocytic lineage.
The tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) is a cytokine released within central nervous system from activated astrocytes and macrophages and involved in several pathologic processes including AIDS-myelopathy, multiple sclerosis and myelin dilatation in panencephalic type of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. We studied the expression of the TNF-alpha in brain tumors. Only tumors of astrocytic lineage like astrocytomas and glioblastomas, or tumors of mixed lineage as oligo-astrocytomas and multipotential primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNET) expressed TNF-alpha-like immunoreactivity. We conclude that this lymphokine is expressed in neoplastic astrocytes. We postulate that TNF-alpha may participate in neoplastic transformation of astrocytes via cascade of interactions with receptor for TNF-alpha.
Liberski
P P
PP
Dept. Oncology, School of Medicine, Lodz, Poland.
Mirecka
B
B
Alwasiak
J
J
Yanagihara
R
R
Gajdusek
D C
DC
D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000378:metabolism*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006801:Humans; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis*
D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha