title: Immunolocalization of Wilms' Tumor protein (WT1) in developing human peripheral sympathetic and gastroenteric nervous system.
abstract: Developmental expression of Wilms' tumor gene (WT1) and protein is crucial for cell proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation and cytoskeletal architecture regulation. Recently, a potential role of WT1 has been suggested in the development of neural tissue and in neurodegenerative disorders. We have investigated immunohistochemically the developmentally regulated expression and distribution of WT1 in the human fetal peripheral sympathetic nervous system (PSNS) and the gastro-enteric nervous system (GENS) from weeks 8 to 28 gestational age. WT1 expression was restricted to the cytoplasm of sympathetic neuroblasts, while it progressively disappeared with advancing morphologic differentiation of these cells along both ganglionic and chromaffin cell lineages. In adult tissues, both ganglion and chromaffin cells lacked any WT1 expression. These findings show that WT1 is a reliable marker of human sympathetic neuroblasts, which can be used routinely in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues. The progressive loss of WT1 in both ganglion and chromaffin cells, suggests its potential repressor role of differentiation in a precise temporal window during the development of the human PSNS and GENS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bio-Medical Sciences, Section of Physiology, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Rosalba
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Parenti
authors.affiliation: Department G.F. Ingrassia, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria "Policlinico-Vittorio Emanuele" Anatomic Pathology, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Lidia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Puzzo
authors.affiliation: Department G.F. Ingrassia, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria "Policlinico-Vittorio Emanuele" Anatomic Pathology, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Giada Maria
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Vecchio
authors.affiliation: Department of Bio-Medical Sciences, Section of Physiology, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gravina
authors.affiliation: Department G.F. Ingrassia, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria "Policlinico-Vittorio Emanuele" Anatomic Pathology, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Salvatorelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Bio-Medical Sciences, Anatomy and Histology Division, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Musumeci
authors.affiliation: Department G.F. Ingrassia, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria "Policlinico-Vittorio Emanuele" Anatomic Pathology, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vasquez
authors.affiliation: Department G.F. Ingrassia, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria "Policlinico-Vittorio Emanuele" Anatomic Pathology, University of Catania, Catania, Italy. Electronic address: g.magro@unict.it.
authors.forename: Gaetano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Magro
mesh_terms: D019439:Chromaffin Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000196:embryology / Q000294:innervation*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D058953:Neural Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D009928:Organ Specificity; D017779:Sympathetic Fibers, Postganglionic / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism*; D025721:WT1 Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D025721:WT1 Proteins; C583751:WT1 protein, human
keywords: Cytoplasmic immunostaining; Human fetus; Immunohistochemistry; Sympathetic peripheral nervous system; WT1; Wilms’ tumor gene