Fetal microchimeric cells participate in tumour angiogenesis in melanomas occurring during pregnancy.
Melanoma is a major malignancy in younger individuals that accounts for 8% of all neoplasias associated with gestation. During pregnancy, a small number of fetal cells enter the maternal circulation. These cells persist and then migrate to various maternal tissues where they may engraft and differentiate, particularly if there is organ damage, adopting the phenotype of the host organ. To understand the relationship between melanoma and pregnancy, we analyzed these tumors in both humans and mice. Fetal cells were detected in 63% of human primary melanomas versus 12% in nevi during pregnancy (P = 0.034) and in 57% of B16 melanomas in pregnant mice but never in normal skin (P = 0.000022). More than 50% of these fetal cells expressed the CD34, CD31, or von Willebrand factor endothelial cell markers. In addition, the Lyve-1 lymphatic antigen was expressed by more than 30% of fetal cells in mice. In conclusion, we show that melanomas during pregnancy frequently harbor fetal cells that have an endothelial phenotype. Further studies are needed to assess whether the fetal contribution to lymphangiogenesis may alter the prognosis of the maternal tumor.
Nguyen Huu
Sau
S
Laboratoire de Physiopathologie du Développement, Universite Pierre et Marie Currie University of Paris 06, EA4053, Paris, France.
Oster
Michèle
M
Avril
Marie-Françoise
MF
Boitier
Françoise
F
Mortier
Laurent
L
Richard
Marie-Aleth
MA
Kerob
Delphine
D
Maubec
Eve
E
Souteyrand
Pierre
P
Moguelet
Philippe
P
Khosrotehrani
Kiarash
K
Aractingi
Selim
S
D000818:Animals; D046528:Chimerism; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D042583:Lymphangiogenesis / Q000502:physiology; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D008545:Melanoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D051379:Mice; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011252:Pregnancy Complications, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*