title: Cleaved caspase-3 immunocytochemical staining for pancreatic islets and pancreatic endocrine tumors: A potential marker for biological malignancy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Involvement of caspase (C)-3 has been implicated in β-cells from diabetic subjects. This study is aimed to immunocytochemically identify cleaved caspase-3 (CC-3) positive cells in pancreatic endocrine tumors (PETs) compared with control islets.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Control islets revealed some CC-3 positive cells, ranging from 3.6 to 7.3% of total islet cells. Small islets in the pseudocapsule of PETs showed higher immunopositive cells at about 9% for CC -3, suggesting an accelerated apoptosis in these compressed, elongated islets before proceeding to imminent cell death. Majority of primary PETs except 9 cases were negative for CC -3 immunostaining: five insulinomas, one somatostatinoma, one gastrinoma and one pancreatic peptidoma (PPoma) were positive for CC -3.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using commercially available rabbit anti-CC-3, immunocytochemical staining was performed in 42 cases of PETs compared with control islets.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Majority of primary PETs (28/37, 76%) were negative for CC-3, suggesting that majority of PETs are not on apoptotic program of the normal islets. Since 21 of 24 (88%) of potentially malignant primary non-β-cell PETs were negative, whereas 5 of 12 (42%) benign insulinomas were positive for CC-3 immunostaining, CC-3 negative immunostaining may serve as a possible malignant marker for all PETs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biosciences, Oregon National Primate Center, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, USA. tomitat@ohsu.edu
authors.forename: Tatsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tomita
mesh_terms: D007516:Adenoma, Islet Cell; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D003940:Diagnostic Techniques, Endocrine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D007340:Insulinoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018358:Neuroendocrine Tumors / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational / Q000502:physiology; D011817:Rabbits; D013194:Staining and Labeling / Q000379:methods; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D053148:Caspase 3