title: In situ visualization of intratumor growth factor signaling: immunohistochemical localization of activated ERK/MAP kinase in glial neoplasms.
abstract: Abnormal growth factor signaling is implicated in the pathogenesis of gliomas. The extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway is a likely target, linking receptor tyrosine kinase activation to downstream serine/threonine phosphorylation events regulating proliferation and differentiation. Signaling within heterogeneous cell populations of gliomas cannot be adequately assessed by traditional biochemical enzyme assays. Immunohistochemical detection of doubly phosphorylated (activated) ERK/MAPK permitted visualization of spatially discrete cellular patterns of ERK/MAPK activation, compared with the relatively uniform expression of total ERK/MAPK protein. The astrocytic tumors, regardless of grade, had the highest overall degree of enzyme activation, whereas oligodendrogliomas had the least. Anaplastic progression in oligodendrogliomas resulted in a larger number of cells with active ERK/MAPK. Within glioblastomas, microvascular hyperplasia and necrosis were associated with ERK/MAPK activation in adjacent tumor cells. In addition to spatial patterns of intratumor paracrine signaling, a possible cell-cycle-associated regulation was detected: mitotic and actively cycling tumor cells showed diminished activation relative to cells in G0. Although ERK/MAPK activation was not restricted to neoplastic glia, consistent patterns of selective activation in tumor cells suggests that sustained activation may contribute to the neoplastic glial phenotype.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology (Neuropathology), University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville 22908, USA. jwm2m@virginia.edu
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Mandell
authors.forename: I M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Hussaini
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zecevic
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: VandenBerg
mesh_terms: D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000201:enzymology; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology*; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D005910:Glioma / Q000201:enzymology*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007163:Immunosorbent Techniques; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D008938:Mitosis; D010766:Phosphorylation; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases