title: Expression of noggin, an antagonist of bone morphogenetic protein, in schwannoma: A possible mechanism.
abstract: Schwannoma is a benign peripheral nerve sheath tumor derived from Schwann cells. Bone scalloping, including spinal foramen enlargement, develops when the tumor is located adjacent to a bone and is a characteristic radiological feature. In the present study, to investigate the pathomechanism of bone resorption, the expression of noggin (a potent antagonist of bone morphogenetic protein) was analyzed in schwannoma tissues and compared with that observed in other soft tissue tumors. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that the mRNA levels of noggin in schwannomas were significantly increased compared with the levels in other tumors. The gene product of noggin was only detected in a subset of schwannomas using immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis. Furthermore, the tissue extract from a noggin-producing schwannoma was found to inhibit osteoblastic differentiation in MC3T3 mouse osteoblastic cells in a dose-dependent manner. These findings indicate that bone scalloping in radiology may be induced by schwannoma-secreted noggin. In addition, noggin may have potential as a novel molecular and diagnostic marker for identifying certain types of schwannoma.
authors: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors: Keiko
authors: K
authors: Kaneko
authors: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors: Chikahisa
authors: C
authors: Higuchi
authors: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors: Norifumi
authors: N
authors: Naka
authors: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors: Hideki
authors: H
authors: Yoshikawa
keywords: bone morphogenetic protein; bone scalloping; noggin; schwannoma