The alpha subunit of S100 protein is present in tumor cells of human malignant melanoma, but not in schwannoma.
The subunits of S100 protein were isolated from surgically resected tissues of human malignant melanoma and schwannoma by means of an affinity chromatography followed by high performance liquid chromatography. The melanoma tissue gave rise to the alpha and beta subunits in almost equal quantities while the schwannoma tissue yielded only the beta subunit, indicating that the S100 subunits were distributed differently between these tumor tissues. This finding suggests that the cellular distribution of S100 subunits varies, so that the cells containing S100 protein can be classified into several types on the basis of the subunit composition.
D000596:Amino Acids / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology*; D009442:Neurilemmoma / Q000473:pathology*; D009418:S100 Proteins / Q000032:analysis*
D000596:Amino Acids; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D009418:S100 Proteins