bcl-2 expression in normal adrenal glands and in adrenal neoplasms.
Archival paraffin-embedded tissue from 5 normal adrenal glands (including 1 from a fetus of 28 weeks' gestation), 6 cases of adrenal cortical hyperplasia, 9 cortical adenomas, 14 cortical carcinomas, and 11 pheochromocytomas were immunostained with monoclonal antibody against bcl-2. Ultrastructural localization of bcl-2 protein was also performed on selected cases. Positive immunostaining for bcl-2 was seen in all of the layers of the normal adrenal cortex, with different staining characteristics. bcl-2 expression was never observed in the normal adrenal medulla. Electron microscopic studies revealed bcl-2 to be localized predominantly to mitochondria, with a small number of labels along the nuclear envelope. Analysis of adrenal neoplasms showed expression of bcl-2 in cortical tumors, but only one positive case in pheochromocytomas. Restriction of bcl-2 expression to adrenal cortex-derived tissue versus adrenal medulla-derived tissue might prove to be helpful for the differential diagnosis between cortical and medullary tumors.
Department of Pathology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104, USA.
F
F
Fogt
A O
AO
Vortmeyer
C
C
Poremba
M
M
Minda
C A
CA
Harris
J E
JE
Tomaszewski
D000293:Adolescent; D000310:Adrenal Gland Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008875:Middle Aged; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D012016:Reference Values; D014018:Tissue Distribution
D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2