Glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1) immunoreactivity in benign, premalignant and malignant lesions of the gallbladder.
GLUT-1 is a transmembrane glucose transport protein that allows the facilitated transport of glucose into cells, normally expressed in tissues which depend mainly on glucose metabolism. Enhanced expression of GLUT-1 can also be found in a large spectrum of carcinomas. This study aimed to investigate GLUT-1 expression in gallbladder tissue: from normal tissue samples, hyperplasias, low-grade and high-grade dysplasias to gallbladder carcinomas. In all, 115 archived samples of gallbladder tissue from 68 patients, presented after cholecystectomy, were immunohistochemically stained for GLUT-1. According to the intensity of GLUT-1 immunoreactivity, samples were divided into negative (stained 0-10% of cells stained), positive with weak to moderate (10-50%) and positive with strong (>50%) GLUT-1 expression. The GLUT-1 immunoreactivity of the samples showed a characteristic increase from premalignant lesions to carcinomas. Normal gallbladder tissue samples did not express GLUT-1 (100%). Weak expression was shown only focally in hyperplasias, but to a greater extent with low-grade dysplasias (20%), high-grade dysplasias (40%) and carcinomas (51.8%). Normal gallbladder tissue is GLUT-1 negative. GLUT-1 expression in carcinoma tissue is significantly higher than in dysplastic lesions. Strong GLUT-1 expression indicates 100% specificity for detecting gallbladder carcinomas. Therefore, GLUT-1 is a candidate as a diagnostic as well as a tissue prognostic marker in gallbladder carcinoma patients.
Institute of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Korytkova 2, SI-1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia. mateja.legan@mf.uni-lj.si
Mateja
M
Legan
Spela
S
Tevžič
Ana
A
Tolar
Boštjan
B
Luzar
Vera Ferlan
VF
Marolt
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D027342:Excitatory Amino Acid Transporter 2 / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005260:Female; D005706:Gallbladder Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D006965:Hyperplasia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D027342:Excitatory Amino Acid Transporter 2