Immunostaining of gastric cancer with neuroendocrine differentiation: Reg IV-positive neuroendocrine cells are associated with gastrin, serotonin, pancreatic polypeptide and somatostatin

Pathol Int. 2010 Apr;60(4):291-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1827.2010.02519.x.

Abstract

We previously reported that Reg IV is associated with neuroendocrine (NE) differentiation in gastric cancers. The aim was to examine which NE hormone products are related to Reg IV-positive NE cells and their roles in gastric cancers. In the present study, we performed immunohistochemical analysis in a tissue microarray (TMA) of a consecutive series of 630 cases with ten different antibodies, including chromogranin A, synaptophysin and neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) as NE differentiation markers, and gastrin, serotonin, calcitonin, gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP), pancreatic polypeptide (PP), somatostatin and glucagon as NE hormones. In 630 cases, we identified 205 (33%) with NE differentiation and 147 (23%) positive for Reg IV. Reg IV-positive cases showed NE differentiation more frequently than Reg IV-negative cases (P < 0.0001). In 205 cases with NE differentiation, Reg IV-positive cases expressed serotonin (P= 0.0032) and somatostatin (P= 0.036) more frequently than Reg IV-negative cases. Double immunofluorescence staining revealed co-expression of Reg IV with gastrin, serotonin and PP. These results indicate that Reg IV might be a mediating factor of several NE hormones.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Calcitonin / metabolism
  • Chromogranin A / metabolism
  • Gastrins / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Lectins, C-Type / metabolism*
  • Neurosecretory Systems / metabolism
  • Pancreatic Polypeptide / metabolism*
  • Pancreatitis-Associated Proteins
  • Serotonin / metabolism*
  • Somatostatin / metabolism*
  • Stomach Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Synaptophysin / metabolism
  • Tissue Array Analysis

Substances

  • Chromogranin A
  • Gastrins
  • Lectins, C-Type
  • Pancreatitis-Associated Proteins
  • REG4 protein, human
  • Synaptophysin
  • Serotonin
  • Somatostatin
  • Pancreatic Polypeptide
  • Calcitonin