title: Surfactant protein A expression in human normal and neoplastic breast epithelium.
abstract: We studied the presence of surfactant protein A (Sp-A) immunoreactivity and messenger RNA in 62 normal and abnormal breast samples. Sections were immunostained with polyclonal anti-Sp-A antibody. The association between Sp-A immunoreactivity and histologic grade of 32 invasive ductal carcinomas was assessed by 3 pathologists who scored the intensity of Sp-A immunoreactivity times the percentage of tumor immunostained; individual scores were averaged, and the final scores were correlated with tumor grade, proliferative index, and expression of estrogen and progesterone receptors. Strong Sp-A immunoreactivity was present at the luminal surface of ductal epithelial cells in normal breast samples and in benign lesions; carcinomas displayed variable immunoreactivity, inversely proportional to the degree of differentiation. Sp-A messenger RNA was detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction in 3 of 3 normal breast samples and 9 of 9 carcinomas. The significance of Sp-A expression in breast epithelium requires further study; possibly it has a role in native host defense or epithelial differentiation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Milan School of Medicine, S. Paolo Hospital, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Braidotti
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cigala
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Graziani
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Del Curto
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dessy
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Coggi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bosari
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Pietra
mesh_terms: D001940:Breast / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002285:Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000556:secondary; D002455:Cell Division; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000737:chemistry; D004848:Epithelium / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D011510:Proteolipids / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D037662:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A; D037661:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Proteins; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D011510:Proteolipids; D037662:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A; D037661:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Proteins; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone