title: Tetanus toxin as a marker for small-cell lung cancer cell lines.
abstract: Tetanus toxin labeling of human lung cancer cell lines was investigated using direct and indirect immunofluorescence and immunohistochemical staining. Cells of characterized permanent cell lines, eight small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) cell lines of classic subtype, six SCLC cell lines of variant subtype and seven non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines, were incubated with a saturating concentration of tetanus toxin. For staining, fluorescein-isothiocyanate-(FITC)-conjugated anti-(tetanus toxin) antibodies were used or a mouse monoclonal anti-(fragment C) antibody with subsequent binding of FITC-conjugated anti-(mouse Ig) antibody or peroxidase-anti-peroxidase complex. Only SCLC showed an intense fluorescence/immunoreactivity restricted to the cell membrane. Quantitative analysis of tetanus toxin labeling by flow cytometry revealed the percentage of positive cells to be between 35% and 95% in SCLC without obvious differences between the classic and variant subtypes of SCLC. In NSCLC the percentage of positive cells was lower than 10%. These results demonstrate that SCLC in contrast to NSCLC can be labeled with tetanus toxin, emphasizing the neuroendocrine properties of this tumor, and that tetanus toxin labeling may become a useful diagnostic marker for SCLC cells in cytology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Philipps-University Marburg, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heymanns
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Neumann
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Havemann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D013745:Tetanus Toxoid; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D013745:Tetanus Toxoid