This Article Order Full text via Infotrieve Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by McCune, B. K. Articles by Tsokos, M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by McCune, B. K. Articles by Tsokos, M.

American Journal of Pathology, Vol 142, 49-58, Copyright © 1993 by American Society for Investigative Pathology

REGULAR ARTICLES

Expression of transforming growth factor-beta isoforms in small round cell tumors of childhood. An immunohistochemical study

BK McCune, K Patterson, RS Chandra, S Kapur, MB Sporn and M Tsokos
Laboratory of Chemoprevention, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland.

The transforming growth factor (TGF)-betas are a highly conserved group of potent multifunctional cell regulatory proteins with variable effects on cell growth and differentiation. Most of the small round cell group of childhood tumors are thought to arise from either primitive mesenchyme or neuroectoderm and show evidence of skeletal muscle or neural differentiation, and rarely both. To investigate the possibility that the TGF-betas have a role in the growth or differentiation of these neoplasms, we used antibodies specific for peptide sequences of the three known mammalian TGF-beta isoforms (TGF- betas 1, 2, and 3) to probe for TGF-beta protein expression in a total of 49 cases. TGF-beta 1 immunoreactivity was present in 16/17 (94%) of rhabdomyosarcomas, and the staining intensity was usually strong. TGF- beta 1 was also present in three of three ectomesenchymomas. In contrast, TGF-beta 1 was absent in all but one out of nine poorly differentiated neuroblastomas. Differentiating neuronal cells of ganglioneuroblastomas, however, were strongly positive for TGF-beta 1. Ewing's sarcomas and peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumors had a less consistent, but usually positive, staining pattern. TGF-beta 3 staining patterns were very similar to those of TGF-beta 1. TGF-beta 2 immunoreactivity was only rarely detected in this group of tumors. The results suggest different roles for TGF-betas 1 and 3 in neuroblastoma and rhabdomyosarcoma. Expression of TGF-betas 1 and 3 is associated with neuronal differentiation of neuroblastoma. In contrast, these proteins may promote the growth of rhabdomyosarcoma by suppressing differentiation.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				V. Strieder and W. Lutz E2F Proteins Regulate MYCN Expression in Neuroblastomas J. Biol. Chem., January 24, 2003; 278(5): 2983 - 2989. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Jaboin, J. Wild, H. Hamidi, C. Khanna, C. J. Kim, R. Robey, S. E. Bates, and C. J. Thiele MS-27-275, an Inhibitor of Histone Deacetylase, Has Marked in Vitro and in Vivo Antitumor Activity against Pediatric Solid Tumors Cancer Res., November 1, 2002; 62(21): 6108 - 6115. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Laitakari and F. Stenback Collagen Matrix in Development and Progression of Experimentally Induced Respiratory Neoplasms in the Hamster Toxicol Pathol, August 1, 2001; 29(5): 514 - 527. [Abstract] [PDF]