title: Differential immunohistochemical localization of desmosomal plaque-related proteins in non-small-cell lung cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Immunohistochemistry is a highly valuable and widely used tool in the subtyping of lung carcinomas. The aim of this study was to identify markers for the differential diagnosis of non-small-cell carcinomas.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We report on the immunohistochemical localization of plakophilin-1 (PKP1), keratin-15 (KRT15) and desmoglein-3 (DSG3) intercellular adhesion proteins in samples from 75 primary non-small-cell lung cancers in non-treated patients. The staining pattern of these proteins differed between squamous cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas, with no membrane staining in the latter. Membrane staining for all three proteins was characteristic of squamous cell carcinomas. We observed a relationship between the presence/absence of these proteins in the membranes of squamous cell carcinomas and the differentiation grade, with more intense staining in better differentiated areas.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Staining for these proteins marked intercellular junctions that are characteristic of stratified squamous epithelium and of neoplasias with this type of differentiation, and can be useful in the diagnosis of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the lung. The high specificity of membrane staining for PKP1 and DSG3 and high sensitivity of cytoplasmic and membrane staining for KRT15 for the diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma may be useful for the differential diagnosis of non-small-cell carcinomas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Mercedes
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gómez-Morales
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cámara-Pulido
authors.forename: María Teresa
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Miranda-León
authors.forename: Abel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Palencia
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Boyero
authors.forename: José Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Gómez-Capilla
authors.forename: María Esther
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Fárez-Vidal
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D051184:Desmoglein 3 / Q000378:metabolism*; D003896:Desmosomes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D053569:Keratin-15 / Q000378:metabolism*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D051191:Plakophilins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C071894:DSG3 protein, human; D051184:Desmoglein 3; C116015:KRT15 protein, human; D053569:Keratin-15; C495335:PKP1 protein, human; D051191:Plakophilins