Expression of smooth muscle calponin in synovial sarcoma.
Purpose. Histogenesis of synovial sarcoma remains controversial and reliable molecular markers for diagnosis are necessary. Expression of basic calponin, a smooth muscle differentiation-specific actin-binding protein, was studied in synovial sarcoma.Subjects and Methods. The basic calponin gene and the gene product were analyzed by reverse transcription PCR analysis (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry in 14 synovial sarcomas and a human synovial sarcoma cell line (HS-SY-II).Results and Discussion. Immunoreactivity for basic calponin was detected in the cytoplasm of 6 synovial sarcomas (43% positive). In the basic calponin-positive tumors and the HS-SY-II cells, expression for smooth muscle-specific genes, including basic calponin and SM22alpha , was detected by RT-PCR, suggesting a lineage relationship between synovial sarcoma cells and smooth muscle-like mesenchymal cells.Conclusions. A subset of synovial sarcomas expressing the basic calponin gene and the gene product were identified. The basic calponin may have potential utility as a novel molecular marker identifying certain synovial sarcomas.
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases 1-3-3, Nakamichi Higashinari-ku Osaka 537-8511 Japan.
H
H
Ono
H
H
Yoshikawa
T
T
Ueda
H
H
Yamamura
I
I
Kudawara
M
M
Manou
S
S
Ishiguro
H
H
Funai
Y
Y
Koyanagi
N
N
Araki
N
N
Hashimoto
H
H
Sonobe
M
M
Tatsuta
K
K
Takahashi