Expression of MUC1 and MUC2 mucin core proteins and their messenger RNA in gall bladder carcinoma: an immunohistochemical andin situ hybridization study

Abstract

Expression of mucin core protein MUC1 and MUC2 was examined at the protein and mRNA level in 55 cases of carcinoma and 20 of dysplasia, and in 15 non‐dysplastic epithelia of the gall bladder. In non‐dysplastic epithelium, MUC1 protein was not expressed, while in dysplasia, MUC1 was focally expressed in ten cases, particularly in those associated with carcinoma. In carcinoma, MUC1 was expressed heterogeneously, and the frequency and extent of MUC1 expression increased with histological dedifferentiation. MUC1 was found on the apical cell surface and also in the cytoplasm in well‐ and moderately‐differentiated carcinoma, and on the cell border in poorly‐differentiated cases. In infiltrative regions, MUC1 expression was more predominant and MUC1 frequently leaked outside the foci of carcinoma. By contrast, MUC2 was focally expressed in non‐dysplastic as well as in dysplastic epithelia and more frequently in well‐differentiated adenocarcinoma. MUC2‐positive cells resembled goblet cells, whether in non‐dysplastic epithelium, dysplasia or carcinoma. Cell proliferative activity was higher in MUC1‐positive than in MUC1‐negative carcinoma cells. Distributions of MUC1 and MUC2 mRNA signals and of MUC1 and MUC2 proteins were similar in carcinoma and dysplasia. These results suggest that MUC1 expression by gall bladder carcinoma may reflect histological dedifferentiation, increased proliferative activity, and invasiveness, while MUC2 expression is related to lower proliferative activity and reflects some differentiation towards goblet cells; and that MUC1 expression in gall bladder dysplasia reflects malignant transformation. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Aberrant expression of CDX2 is closely related to the intestinal metaplasia and MUC2 expression in intraductal papillary neoplasm of the liver in hepatolithiasis

“…35 In fact, we have reported that the proliferative activity is lower in MUC2-positive, suspected CDX2-positive gallbladder carcinoma when compared with MUC2-negative carcinoma cells. 36 Taking these facts into consideration, CDX2-dependent regulation of cell proliferation may be an important factor in defining the prognosis of the patient.…”

Establishment and characterization of a cell line from a malignant fibrous histiocytoma of bone developing in a patient with multiple fibrous dysplasia

“…Immunohistological study for transplant tumor HMG-1, Muc2, and CA15±5 immunohistochemistry was conducted as described earlier (Yamato et al 1999). After deparanization and re-hydration, 4-lm formalin-®xed, paranembedded sections of transplant tumors were exposed to anti-human gastric mucin (NCL-HGM-45M1, Novo Castra, Newcastle, UK), Muc-2 glycoprotein (NCL-MUC-2, Novo Castra) or CA15±5 (DF-3, Centocor, USA) primary antibodies at dilutions of 1:50, 1:100, and 1:1, respectively.…”

Expression of homeodomain protein CDX2 in gallbladder carcinomas

“…MUC2 expression in gastric carcinomas has been thought to be a favorable prognostic factor (Yonezawa and Sato 1997). Gallbladder carcinomas exhibit both MUC2 and MUC5AC in the early stage of carcinogenesis, with MUC5AC being dominant in invasive carcinomas Yamato et al 1999;Kashiwagi et al 2001).…”