Loss of alkaline phosphatase activity in meningiomas: a rapid histochemical technique indicating progression-associated deletion of a putative tumor suppressor gene on the distal part of the short arm of chromosome 1.
Apart from defined histomorphologic features, increased Ki-67 indices and various numeric and structural chromosome aberrations, meningiomas of the intermediate (WHO grade II, atypical meningioma) and anaplastic type (WHO grade III) are cytogenetically distinguished from common-type meningiomas (WHO grade I) by frequent loss of the distal part of the short arm of one chromosome 1 (1p-), which formerly proved to be an independent predictor of shorter recurrence-free intervals. Histochemically, loss of alkaline phosphatase activity (ALPL, liver/bone/kidney type, EC 3.1.3.1) was another frequent, specific finding in meningiomas with signs of dedifferentiation. In a prospective study including 66 meningiomas, all common-type meningiomas except one case (18/19) were reactive for ALPL, whereas 75% (30/39) of intermediate type and all anaplastic meningiomas (8/8) showed loss of enzyme activity in large areas of the tumor. Exclusively, the ALPL negative phenotype was associated with 1p loss (15/19). Our data suggest that ALPL, which is coded as a single copy gene on chromosome 1p36.1-p34, is a useful marker enzyme for the loss of a putative regulatory (tumor suppressor) gene on chromosome 1p, or that ALPL itself represents a new tumor suppressor gene homozygously inactivated in meningiomas.
Niedermayer
I
I
Department of Neuropathology, Medical School, University of Saarland, Homburg, Germany.
Feiden
W
W
Henn
W
W
Steilen-Gimbel
H
H
Steudel
W I
WI
Zang
K D
KD
D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000172:deficiency*; D002878:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 1; D018450:Disease Progression; D017353:Gene Deletion; D016147:Genes, Tumor Suppressor; D006651:Histocytochemistry / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008577:Meningeal Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology*; D008579:Meningioma / Q000201:enzymology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors
D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase