A 14K beta-galactoside-binding lectin (galectin-1) is present in many animal tissues. In a search for endogenous ligands, we surveyed galectin-1-binding proteins in human placenta. Extract of human placenta with 2 M urea was applied to a Sepharose 4B column conjugated with galectin-1 purified from frog (Rana catesbeiana) eggs. Two major proteins eluted with 100 mM lactose from the column-bound fraction showed apparent molecular masses of 220 and 180 kDa on SDS-PAGE under reducing conditions. Western blotting analysis using monoclonal antibodies indicated that these proteins were fibronectin and laminin, respectively. Most placental and amniotic fibronectins bound strongly to the column, whereas almost all plasma fibronectin passed through the column. The galectin-1, fibronectin and laminin were immunohistochemically shown to be co-localized in the extracellular matrix of placental tissue. In a cell attachment assay, rhabdosarcoma cells adhered to a plate coated with placental fibronectin, even in the presence of GRGDS peptide, if galectin-1 were also present. This adhesive effect of galectin-1 was inhibited by lactose. These results indicate that tissue fibronectin, as well as laminin, serve as endogenous ligands for galectin-1, suggesting that galectin-1 may play a role in assembly of the extracellular matrix, or in the control of cell adhesion based on lectin-extracellular matrix interaction.

Our objective was to determine the applicability of cell transfer and cell block methods using Mount Quick (Daido Sangyo, Saitama, Japan) mounting medium (MQ) for hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) and immunohistochemical staining of several limited amounts of biological materials in slide preparations. The materials investigated were histopathologically confirmed malignant mesotheliomas (pleural effusions) and malignant lymphomas, a malignant melanoma, and an amelanotic melanoma in sealed slides. Monoclonal antibodies against carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), cancer antigen 125 (CA-125), vimentin, thrombomodulin (TM), cytokeratin, UCHL-1, L-26, melanoma-specific antigen (HMB45), and S-100 protein (S-100) were applied in the investigation.The malignant mesotheliomas were found to be positive for EMA, cytokeratin, vimentin, TM,, and negative for CEA, with no differences being observed in findings from direct contact preparations. Using T-cell-type malignant lymphomas for immunohistochemistry, UCHL-1 positivity and L-26 negativity were clearly demonstrated.The malignant melanoma and amelanotic melanoma materials stained strongly for HMB45 and S-100.Cell transfer employing MQ is a suitable approach for immunohistochemical investigations of limited materials. In addition, cell blocks derived from MQ-embedded smears can be used for both H&E and immunohistochemical staining.

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A high intake of salted food is thought to be related to the high incidence of stomach cancer in Japan. In the present study, female F344 rats were divided into four groups. They were fed a nutritionally deficient purified diet (Group 1) and standard purified diet (Group 3) for 113 weeks and the same diets supplemented with salted cuttlefish guts, broiled, salted, dried sardines, pickled radish, and soy sauce (Groups 2 and 4). The incidence of papillomas and ulcers of the forestomach was highest in Group 4, which was given the standard diet supplemented with the salty food materials (p less than 0.05). These results suggest the importance of salted food as a suspicious causal factor in human stomach cancer in Japan.

Although the presence of nuclear grooving in papillary carcinomas of the thyroid has been well‐described, so far the attention paid to similar structures in endometrial cell samples has been limited. In order to investigate the occurrence of nuclear grooves in endometrial specimens from patients with various pathologic conditions of the endometrium, we compared their appearance with papillary thyroid cancers. A total of 10 cases was studied (age range, 40–72 yr), all cases demonstrating nuclear grooves. In each case, 10 random high‐power fields (HPFs) were investigated, and the numbers of fields in which nuclear grooving could be seen were recorded. Nuclear grooves were observed in 3–36 of each HPFs and were more often observed in atypical endometrial cells than in their normal‐appearing counterparts; however, these nuclear alterations were thought to be nonspecific findings. Diagn. Cytopathol. 1998;19:63–65. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.