Patterns of reactivity with anti‐glycolipid antibodies in human primary brain tumors

Abstract

Antibodies against carbohydrates of three glycolipids were used to determine patterns of immunohistochemical reactivity of histologically identifiable cell subpopulations in 101 human primary brain tumors. For all tumor types fibrillary cells, polar cells, and gemistocytes (commonly seen in astrocytomas and ependymomas) stained more frequently for galactosylcerebroside with mAbO1 than small tumor cells and macrophages. Frequency of staining for sulfatide with mAbO4 was fibrillary > polar > small cells = macrophages. Gemistocytes stained more frequently with mAbO4 than polar cells in all tumors except low grade astrocytomas. These data indicate that tumors classified on histological grounds as astrocytic are often stained with antibodies that recognize oligodendrocytes and their progenitors. Thus, anti-glycolipid antibodies used in the study of developmental lineage may offer useful tools for classification of human brain tumors. Staining of fibrillary cells, polar cells, and gemistocytes for paragloboside directly with mAb F1H11 was much less common than with mAbO1, but this increased by pretreatment of the tissues with neuraminidase (F1H11 + N). Of particular note was the finding that small tumor cells frequently stained with F1H11 + N. Evidence that these were not macrophages was obtained using double immunostaining with F1H11 + N and anti-macrophage antibodies. In astrocytomas the frequency of small tumor cells immunostained with F1H11 + N was high grade > anaplastic > low grade, demonstrating a correlation of this tumor cell population with more aggressive astrocytomas. Thus, immunostaining with F1H11 + N may be of value in identifying small, anaplastic tumor cells, especially in small biopsies or tissue taken adjacent to the main tumor mass.

Elevation of sulfatides in ovarian cancer: An integrated transcriptomic and lipidomic analysis including tissue-imaging mass spectrometry

“…As mass spectrometry becomes more widely applied to biopsy samples, as has been proposed [34], ST might be useful ions to monitor since they have been suggested to reflect early stages of ovarian cancer [9], and to be elevated in a wide range of other cancers, including colorectal [5], hepatocellular [6], renal [7], brain [35] and small-cell lung cancers [8]. It is appealing to imagine that there might be molecular markers, such as ST, that are detectable by MALDI TIMS analysis of biopsy samples and allow identification of early tumors that would otherwise be incorrectly scored as "normal" by histologic staining alone.…”

Sphingolipid and Glycosphingolipid Metabolic Pathways in the Era of Sphingolipidomics

“…(173) It should also be borne in mind, however, that some of the regulatory functions might be intracellular, because sulfatides bind to the N-terminal domain of sphingosine kinase 2. (174) Sulfatides are elevated in a wide range of cancers, including colorectal,(175) hepatocellular,(176) renal,(177) brain,(178) small-cell lung,(179) and ovarian(180) cancers, and are thought participate in metastasis. 175,181 …”

Cytogenetic Analysis of Gemistocytic Cells in Gliomas

“…On morphological grounds it was speculated that the GFOCs are capable of transforming into minigemistocytes and subsequently into larger gemistocytes (27). Based on immunohistochemistry for oligodendroglial (precursor) lineage, a subgroup of large gemistocytes were considered of oligodendroglial and not astrocytic lineage (28). Whether these cells have originated from minigemistocytes remains speculative, and the notion that minigemistocytes might in fact be of oligodendroglial lineage has not been investigated.…”