Expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin in benign or malignant ovarian tumors.
We compared the expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) between benign and malignant human ovarian tissues by immunohistochemical staining and Western blot analysis using the monoclonal antibody specific to alpha-SMA. In normal human ovaries, alpha-SMA was found in the blood vessel walls, muscle fibers, and stromal cells surrounding the follicles. The main source of alpha-SMA in the benign ovarian tumors was the blood vessel walls which highly expressed the alpha-SMA throughout the tumor. In malignant tumor tissues, however, the vessels located in or close to the cluster of cancer cells did not express alpha-SMA. It corresponded to the results of the Western blot analysis, showing that the amount of alpha-SMA in malignant ovarian tumor tissues was much smaller than that in benign tumor tissues. Thus, the alteration in alpha-SMA expression seems to reflect the qualitative difference in vessels between benign and malignant ovarian tissues, and therefore alpha-SMA is considered to potentially be a histopathologically useful marker for indicating the malignant potential of ovarian tumors.
Kobayashi
H
H
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Tsuruchi
N
N
Sugihara
K
K
Kaku
T
T
Saito
T
T
Kamura
T
T
Tsukamoto
N
N
Nakano
H
H
Taniguchi
S
S
D000199:Actins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000276:immunology; D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism*; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D015153:Blotting, Western; D003537:Cystadenoma / Q000378:metabolism*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D010053:Ovary / Q000098:blood supply / Q000378:metabolism
D000199:Actins; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal