Significance of tyrosine kinase activity on malign transformation of ovarian tumors: a comparison between EGF-R and TGF-alpha.
Epidermal growth factor (EGF) and transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) are members of the polypeptide growth factor family. The epidermal growth factor-receptor (EGF-R) is a receptor tyrosine kinase of the ErbB family. Many types of cancer, including ovarian cancer, display enhanced EGF-R immunoreactivity on their cell surface membranes. Also, an increase in TGF-alpha synthesis and secretion usually occurs in human carcinoma cell lines. In this study, we compared the immunoreactivities of TGF-alpha and EGF-R in ovarian tumors and related immunohistochemical findings to the histological type of the tumors. Formalin-fixed, paraffin wax-embedded tissue sections from 40 patients who had serous-mucinous borderline tumor and serous-mucinous adenocarcinoma of the ovary (n=10 each) were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and labeled for binding of primary antibodies against TGF-alpha and EGF-R using an avidin-biotin-peroxidase method. A semi-quantitative grading system was used to compare immunohistochemical labeling intensities. Increased immunoreactivity of EGF-R and moderate immunoreactivity of TGF-alpha was detected in adenocarcinomas. There was no significant difference in the immunoreactivity of TGF-alpha among the histologic types of ovarian tumors. The results of this study support the hypothesis that EGF-R may be a more useful marker than TGF-alpha in epithelial ovarian tumors.
Department of Biophysics, Medical School, Celal Bayar University, Yeni Dekanlik Binasi, Uncubozkoy Mevkii, 45030 Manisa, Turkey. tamerzeren@yahoo.com
Tamer
T
Zeren
Sevinc
S
Inan
H
H
Seda Vatansever
Nuran
N
Ekerbicer
Sevil
S
Sayhan
D000328:Adult; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D018450:Disease Progression; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D016612:Paraffin Embedding / Q000379:methods; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D016211:Transforming Growth Factor alpha / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D016211:Transforming Growth Factor alpha; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor; D066246:ErbB Receptors; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases