title: Rudolf-Virchow-Preis 1996. Priesträgerrede. Detection of surfactant protein gene expression by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) identifies metastases and occult tumor spread of pulmonary adenocarcinomas.
abstract: A highly sensitive assay using RT-PCR and primers specific for surfactant protein A (SP-A), B (SP-B), C (SP-C) and D (SP-D) genes was applied to detect nodal metastases and occult tumor spread of pulmonary adenocarcinomas. Transcripts of a 367-bp long SP-B gene fragment were detected in all control lymph nodes and tonsils offering evidence of illegitimate transcription of the SP-B gene in cells of lymphatic tissue. SP-A, SP-C, and/or SP-D transcripts were detected in 30 (83.3%) of 36 lymph nodes with histologically identifiable metastases of pulmonary adenocarcinomas and in 10 (55.5%) of 18 lymph nodes that were tumor-free on histologic examination. These findings provide evidence of occult tumor spread in regionary lymph nodes which remains undetectable by conventional light microscopy but can be detected by RT-PCR. Gene expression of SP-A and SP-C was restricted to pulmonary adenocarcinomas but SP-D gene activity has been detected in pulmonary large cell carcinomas, one pulmonary adenosquamous carcinomas and in non-pulmonary adenocarcinomas as well.
authors.affiliation: Pathologisches Institut, Universität Würzburg, Germany.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Papadopoulos
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D001363:Awards and Prizes; D005858:Germany; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology*; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000473:pathology*; D014066:Palatine Tonsil / Q000473:pathology; D010336:Pathology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D011510:Proteolipids / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D037662:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A; D037663:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein D; D037661:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Proteins; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012955:Societies, Medical; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D006023:Glycoproteins; D011510:Proteolipids; D037662:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A; D037663:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein D; D037661:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Proteins; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants