title: Metallothionein expression in canine cutaneous apocrine gland tumors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of the present study was to evaluate, by immunohistochemical staining, metallothionein expression in normal, benign and malignant canine apocrine gland tissues and to correlate the protein expression with the histological grade of malignancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  MT immunostaining was evaluated in 25 formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded canine apocrine glands (2 normal and 23 neoplastic). Moreover, we evaluated quantitative expression of MT in normal and neoplastic cells by western blotting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  a marked increase in MT expression was observed in neoplastic, compared to normal samples as well as in malignant compared to benign tumors. Western blotting analysis revealed one major protein band of approximately 14 kDa in normal, as well as in the neoplastic, tissues.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that MT expression appears to be a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of canine apocrine gland tumors and may also assist in the better understanding of the evolution of this neoplasia.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Patologia e Sanità Animale, Facoltà di Scienze Biotecnologiche, Università degli studi di Napoli Federico II, Via Delpino 1, 80137 Naples, Italy. manuela.martano@unina.it
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martano
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Carella
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Squillacioti
authors.forename: Brunella
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Restucci
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mazzotta
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lo Muzio
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maiolino
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001050:Apocrine Glands / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D015153:Blotting, Western; D004285:Dogs; D008668:Metallothionein / Q000378:metabolism*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D008668:Metallothionein