Immunocytochemical localization and identification of prosomatostatin gene products in medullary carcinoma of human thyroid gland.
Thirty-three cases of histologically proven calcitonin-positive medullary thyroid carcinoma were studied immunocytochemically for the occurrence of prosomatostatin-related peptides. Positive cells, identified with a panel of antisera raised against four different regions of the prosomatostatin molecule, were found in 100% of the tumors. Most but not all somatostatin-positive cells were also immunoreactive for calcitonin. Notably, seven patients harboring somatostatin-rich tumors revealed a more favorable clinical course. The results (1) indicate that somatostatin production is a universal concomitant of thyroid medullary carcinoma, (2) suggest that these cells are likely to produce a somatostatin precursor molecule similar to mammalian prosomatostatin, and (3) imply that somatostatin-reactive cells may have as yet unknown roles in these tumors, possibly in the realm of paracrine and autocrine regulation of cell growth.
Scopsi
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Division of Pathological Anatomy and Cytology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.
Ferrari
C
C
Pilotti
S
S
Holst
J J
JJ
Rehfeld
J F
JF
Fossati
G
G
Rilke
F
F
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000378:metabolism; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000378:metabolism*; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
D011498:Protein Precursors; D013004:Somatostatin; C028456:prosomatostatin; D002116:Calcitonin