title: Congenital vascular malformations--cerebral lesions differ from extracranial lesions by their immune expression of the glucose transporter protein GLUT1.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cerebral vascular malformations were investigated for the presence of the glucose transporter protein GLUT1, which is normally expressed in endothelial cells of the pre-existing microvasculature of the brain and absent in the vasculature of the choroid plexus and extracranial vasculature without a barrier function. Extracranial arteriovenous malformations (AVM) are known to show an absence of GLUT1 expression which distinguishes them from infantile hemangioma of skin and soft tissue. The expression of GLUT1 in cerebrovascular malformations is not systematically investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Paraffin-embedded sections of cerebral AVM (4), including one choroid plexus AVM, cerebral cavernous malformations (CCM, 3) and extracranial (facial) AVM (3) were immunostained with anti-CD31 and GLUT1 in doublestaining procedure which was further analyzed with the use of spectral analysis software.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All 7 cases of cerebral vascular malformations showed colocalization of GLUT1/CD31 of endothelial cells of the vessels within the malformation. Only in the extracranial AVM expression of GLUT1 was completely absent.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cerebral AVM differ from extracranial AVM by their endothelial immunoexpression of GLUT1, indicating that the vessels of these malformations retain the endothelial phenotype of the local vascular beds from which they are derived during embryogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Symbiant/Medical Center Alkmaar, Alkmaar.
authors.forename: Lorine B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Meijer-Jorna
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Aronica
authors.forename: Chris M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: van der Loos
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Troost
authors.forename: Allard C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: van der Wal
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001165:Arteriovenous Malformations / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D051272:Glucose Transporter Type 1 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D020786:Hemangioma, Cavernous, Central Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D002538:Intracranial Arteriovenous Malformations / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D051272:Glucose Transporter Type 1; C495677:SLC2A1 protein, human