title: Hepatocellular carcinoma may display elevated nestin expression in endothelial cells: experimental study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Nestin, a class VI intermediate filament protein, is highly expressed in the portal mesenchyme and sinusoidal endothelium of the human fetal liver, but scarcely expressed in adult portal vessel endothelium. During experimental liver regeneration, an increased number of nestin-positive parenchymal cells have been observed in the zone adjacent to the Hering canals. These parenchymal cells are regarded as hepatic stem cells or hepatoblasts, which may be involved in hepatocellular carcinogenesis. In the light of recent reports describing nestin-positive parenchymal cells in hepatocellular carcinoma, we aimed to use this tumor type as a positive control for immunohistochemical detection of nestin.
  
  
  METHODS
  Experimental study conducted at a university hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hepatocellular carcinoma sections from one case were analyzed for nestin expression by immunohistochemistry using confocal microscopy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Surprisingly, a conspicuous pattern resembling liver sinusoid-like cytoarchitecture was observed upon nestin staining of endothelial cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This pattern has not been previously described. The preliminary results shown here suggest that nestin-positive endothelial cells are located in niches of immature or proliferative cells. Moreover, nestin expression in endothelial cells of hepatocellular carcinoma enhances the role of angiogenesis in this tumor type, although the prevalence of this immunohistopathological pattern remains to be determined. Finally, hepatocellular carcinoma is an effective positive control for nestin staining in fluorescent immunohistochemistry.
authors.affiliation: Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil.
authors.forename: Adriano Barreto
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Nogueira
authors.affiliation: Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo (HC/FMUSP), São Paulo, Brasil.
authors.forename: Ariel Barreto
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Nogueira
authors.affiliation: Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil.
authors.forename: Anderson Lino
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil.
authors.forename: Fabiana Roberto
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.affiliation: Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil.
authors.forename: Sheila Aparecida
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Siqueira
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Neurosurgery, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil.
authors.forename: Manoel Jacobsen
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Teixeira
mesh_terms: D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000378:metabolism*; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D064231:Nestin / Q000378:metabolism*; D013194:Staining and Labeling
chemical_list: D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D064231:Nestin