Comparative analysis of expression of hepatocyte growth factor and its receptor, c-met, in gliomas, meningiomas and schwannomas in humans.
Expression of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and c-met, a proto-oncogene that encodes a receptor for HGF, was examined in 45 cases of human primary intracranial tumors by means of RT-PCR. In gliomas, HGF and c-met mRNAs were preferentially expressed in high-grade tumors. Co-expression of both genes was observed in glioblastomas (6/15) and in one anaplastic astrocytoma (1/5) but not in low-grade astrocytomas (0/3). By contrast, the c-met gene was consistently expressed in meningiomas (12/14) and schwannomas (8/8). The presence of c-Met protein was confirmed in the tumor cells of glioblastoma, meningioma and schwannoma by immunohistochemical staining. Moreover, all of the schwannoma cases co-expressed the HGF gene. These observations suggest that HGF/c-met expression is somehow related to the disease progression in gliomas, whereas c-Met protein might have an important fundamental biological role in meningioma and schwannoma. Moreover, since all of the schwannoma cases concomitantly expressed the ligand (HGF) and the receptor (c-met) genes, HGF may act in an autocrine fashion in schwannoma.
Moriyama
T
T
Department of Neurosurgery, Miyazaki Medical College, Kiyotake, Japan.
Kataoka
H
H
Kawano
H
H
Yokogami
K
K
Nakano
S
S
Goya
T
T
Uchino
H
H
Koono
M
M
Wakisaka
S
S
D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D018450:Disease Progression; D015870:Gene Expression; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008579:Meningioma / Q000378:metabolism*; D009442:Neurilemmoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D019859:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
C000715470:MAS1 protein, human; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor; D019859:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met