title: Immunohistochemical detection of arginine methylated proteins (MeRP) in archival tissues.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To (i) determine whether methylarginine-specific antibodies can be employed for standard immunohistochemical analysis of paraffin-embedded tissues, (ii) analyse methylarginine expression in normal and neoplastic tissues and (iii) correlate methylarginine expression with that of protein arginine methyltransferase (PRMT1), the predominant cellular arginine methyltransferase.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Immunohistochemistry of normal and cancer tissues was performed utilizing three commercial polyclonal antibodies: anti-methylarginine-specific antibody (anti-mRG) raised against a methylarginine peptide, Control antibody (anti-RG), a control antiserum raised against a corresponding arginine peptide without any methylated residues and anti-PRMT1. Nuclear and/or cytoplasmic methylarginine expression was detected in all keratinized and non-keratinized epithelia. A preliminary survey of a series of thyroid, pancreatic, colonic and gastric cancers identified a different pattern of methylarginine expression in comparison with normal tissue. A correlation between methylarginine staining and PRMT1 expression was found in all normal and cancer tissues analysed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Methylarginine-specific antibodies are capable of recognizing methylarginine proteins (MeRP) in paraffin-embedded tissues. Methylarginine proteins are expressed widely and show differences in subcellular localization in various organs and neoplastic conditions. The efficient detection of methylproteins by standard immunohistochemistry provides a new tool to investigate the role of methylarginine proteins (MeRP) in biological processes including carcinogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Diagnostics, University di Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Marzia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vezzalini
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Aletta
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Beghelli
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Moratti
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Della Peruta
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mafficini
authors.forename: Wilfrido D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Mojica
authors.forename: Aldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mombello
authors.forename: Aldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scarpa
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sorio
mesh_terms: D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D001120:Arginine / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008745:Methylation; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D016612:Paraffin Embedding; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D011484:Protein-Arginine N-Methyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D011506:Proteins; D001120:Arginine; D011484:Protein-Arginine N-Methyltransferases