Extracellular matrix-modulated expression of human cell surface glycoproteins A42 and J143. Intrinsic and extrinsic signals determine antigenic phenotype.

We have used serologic, biochemical, and genetic methods to characterize two stage-specific human differentiation antigens of neural and melanocytic cells: A42 (57,000 Mr glycoprotein) and J143 (140,000/30,000 Mr glycoprotein). The genes determining A42 and J143 cell surface expression in rodent-human hybrids were chromosomally mapped, and the respective human chromosomes were introduced into rodent cells derived from distinct differentiation lineages. Serologic analysis of the resulting hybrid clones has permitted the identification of two types of regulatory signals determining A42 and J143 expression. First, both antigens are expressed in hybrids constructed with antigen-positive human cells and also in certain hybrids constructed with antigen-negative human cells, indicating that intrinsic signals provided by the differentiation program of the rodent fusion partner induce antigen expression. Second, a series of human-mouse neuroblastoma hybrids, which are A42- or J143- when cultured on plastic surfaces, can be induced to express the antigens when cultured on substrates coated with extracellular matrix (ECM) produced by bovine corneal endothelial cells or fibronectin. This induction of antigen expression by extrinsic, ECM-derived signals is accompanied in the neuroblastoma hybrids by increased substrate adhesiveness and cell spreading and by characteristic changes in cell morphology. A similar program of phenotypic changes is also seen in spontaneous variants of human neuroblastoma and Ewing's sarcoma cells and in ECM-induced Ewing's sarcoma cells. These findings suggest that ECM-derived signals have a role analogous to mitogens and soluble differentiation factors in modulating differentiation phenotypes and tissue-specific patterns of cell surface antigen expression.

Role of human chromosome 11 in determining surface antigenic phenotype of normal and malignant cells. Somatic cell genetic analysis of eight antigens, including putative human Thy-1.

The expression of eight serologically and biochemically distinct human cell surface antigens defined by monoclonal antibodies was examined on a panel of rodent-human somatic cell hybrids. Cosegregation was observed for human chromosome 11, and surface expression of all eight antigens was studied. Serological analysis of hybrids containing defined segments of human chromosome 11 permitted the regional assignment of genes controlling antigens JF23 (90 kD glycoprotein), G344 (25 kD), T43 (85 kD), A124, and NP13 to chromosome 11pter-q13, and of genes controlling Q14 (130 kD), MC139 (35 kD), and K117 (25 kD) to chromosome 11q13-qter. K117, the putative human Thy-1 antigen, was expressed at high levels in chromosome 11-containing hybrids constructed with mouse neuroblastoma cells, but showed little or no expression in hybrids constructed with mouse L cells. A similar pattern of expression in hybrids was found for MC139, an antigen shared by neuroectoderm-derived cells and normal and malignant T lymphocytes. T43 is a marker of malignant tumors (but not benign tumors) derived from a number of T43- epithelia, and the regional assignment of the T43 locus on chromosome 11 raises questions about its possible involvement in the specific rearrangements of this chromosome seen in human malignancies.

The CD14 monocyte differentiation antigen maps to a region encoding growth factors and receptors.

CD14 is a myelomonocytic differentiation antigen expressed by monocytes, macrophages, and activated granulocytes and is detectable with the monoclonal antibodies MO2, MY4, and LeuM3. Analyses of complementary DNA and genomic clones of CD14 show that it has a novel structure and that it maps to chromosome 5 within a region containing other genes encoding growth factors and receptors; it may therefore represent a new receptor important for myeloid differentiation. In addition, the CD14 gene is included in the "critical" region that is frequently deleted in certain myeloid leukemias.

Human melanoma proteoglycan: expression in hybrids controlled by intrinsic and extrinsic signals.

Human malignant melanoma cells express specific chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (mel-CSPG) on the surface, both in vivo and in vitro. Melanocytes in normal skin show no detectable mel-CSPG but can be induced to express the antigen when cultured in the presence of cholera toxin and the tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate. Most other cell types do not express mel-CSPG either in vivo or in vitro. A study was designed to examine regulatory signals controlling mel-CSPG expression. The gene encoding mel-CSPG was mapped to human chromosome 15, and this chromosome was introduced into rodent cells derived from distinct differentiation lineages. Three types of mel-CSPG--expressing hybrids were found: (i) hybrids derived from human melanomas; (ii) hybrids derived from human cells that do not express mel-CSPG; and (iii) hybrids derived from human cells expressing mel-CSPG that are antigen-negative but that are induced to express mel-CSPG when cultured on extracellular matrix instead of plastic surfaces. Thus, mel-CSPG expression can be controlled both through intrinsic signals, provided by the differentiation program of the rodent fusion partner, and through extrinsic signals, provided by specific cell-matrix interactions.

Immunogenetics of cell surface antigens of human cancer.

Hybridoma technology, immunohistochemistry and molecular genetic techniques have paved the way for a general serological mapping of molecules expressed on the surface of normal and neoplastic cells. The emerging findings challenge cell lineage-based models of differentiation and point to new, modular concepts to explain complex tumor phenotypes. In parallel studies, the repertoire of T-cell recognized tumor antigens--still mysterious but probably quite distinct from the antibody-defined repertoire--has also become accessible to molecular analysis.

Targeted disruption of mouse fibroblast activation protein.

Human fibroblast activation protein (FAP), a member of the serine prolyl oligopeptidase family, is a type II cell surface glycoprotein selectively expressed by fibroblastic cells in areas of active tissue remodeling, such as the embryonic mesenchyme, areas of wound healing, the gravid uterus, and the reactive stroma of epithelial cancers. Homologues of FAP have been identified in the mouse and Xenopus laevis. FAP is a dual-specificity enzyme that acts as a dipeptidyl peptidase and collagenase in vitro. To explore the role of FAP in vivo, Fap(-/-) mice were generated by homologous recombination. RNase protection analysis and reverse transcription-PCR confirmed the absence of full-length Fap transcripts in mouse embryonic tissues. No FAP protein was detected in Fap(-/-) animals by immunohistochemistry, and no FAP-specific dipeptidyl peptidase activity was found. We report that Fap(-/-) mice are fertile, show no overt developmental defects, and have no general change in cancer susceptibility.

Expression of epidermal growth factor receptor in human cultured cells and tissues: relationship to cell lineage and stage of differentiation.

Mouse monoclonal antibodies have been used to study the distribution of the epidermal growth factor receptor in human cultured cells and tissues. As expected, most epithelial cells expressed epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFr), whereas cells of hematopoietic origin were EGFr-. However, EGFr was found to be differentially expressed on cultured cells of neuroectodermal origin. Normal melanocytes and a proportion of melanomas are EGFr-, whereas a distinct subset of other melanomas, astrocytomas, and neuroblastomas is EGFr+. Expression of the EGFr in melanomas was closely related to the expression of phenotypic traits of differentiation. Less differentiated melanomas have an epithelioid morphology and are nonpigmented, Ia+, and EGFr+; in contrast, more differentiated melanomas have a dendritic morphology and are pigmented, Ia-, and EGFr-. In the melanoma cell panel used, expression of EGFr did not correlate with rate of proliferation. Expression of EGFr in tissues also showed a lack of correlation with the proliferative state of cells. Our findings indicate that expression of EGFr is related to cell lineage and specific stages of cellular differentiation, rather than only to cell proliferation. The data suggest that receptor content may be elevated in a large number of tumor cell lines.

Coordinate changes in neuronal phenotype and surface antigen expression in human neuroblastoma cell variants.

Human neuroblastoma cells growing in culture offer a unique opportunity to study proliferating human cells with a neuronal phenotype. We have previously identified several neuroblastoma cell lines which show spontaneous conversion (N/S interconversion) between two morphologically distinct cell types: neuroblastic (N-type) cells and variant, substrate-adherent (S-type) cells resembling cultured glial or mesenchymal cells. In the present study, we have used molecular markers to confirm the neuronal phenotype of N-type cells and to demonstrate that S-type cells have a nonneuronal phenotype. Furthermore, we have used these markers, including a series of cell surface differentiation antigens, to compare S-type neuroblastoma cells with a wide range of cultured epithelial, mesenchymal, and neuroectodermal cells. The results suggest that N/S interconversion represents an ordered transition between two neuroectodermal differentiation programs rather than random phenotypic instability of cultured cells; S-type variant cells show a molecular phenotype most closely resembling the phenotype of cultured ectomesenchymal cells; and in vitro variant formation of human neuroblastomas may provide an experimental model for the observed in vivo transition of some malignant neuroblastomas into benign ganglioneuromas.

Biochemical and genetic characterization of the HBA71 Ewing's sarcoma cell surface antigen.

Monoclonal antibody HBA71 detects a cell surface antigen of human Ewing's sarcomas and peripheral neuroepitheliomas that distinguishes these tumors from other small round cell tumors of childhood and adolescence. In the present study, we show that monoclonal antibody HBA71 reacts with polypeptides of Mr 32,000 and 30,000 and that the HBA71-coding gene segregates with human chromosomes X and Y in rodent-human hybrids. Therefore, we compared HBA71 to the T-cell leukemia antigen 12E7, which is encoded by the pseudoautosomal region of chromosomes X and Y. We show that monoclonal antibodies HBA71 and 12E7 (a) detect polypeptides of identical size, (b) react with mouse cells transfected with complementary DNA corresponding to the 12E7-coding gene, MIC2, and (c) give similar patterns of reactivity with human tumor cell lines and small round cell tumor tissues. Thus, HBA71 and 12E7 are identical or closely related antigens and the available MIC2 probes will facilitate analysis of the molecular mechanisms that determine differential HBA71 expression in small round cell tumors of childhood and adolescence.

Molecular cloning of the B-CAM cell surface glycoprotein of epithelial cancers: a novel member of the immunoglobulin superfamily.

The human F8/G253 antigen, B-CAM, is a cell surface glycoprotein that is expressed with restricted distribution pattern in normal fetal and adult tissues, and is up-regulated following malignant transformation in some cell types. We have isolated a complementary DNA for B-CAM using an expression cloning technique. The complementary DNA (EMBL accession number X80026) encodes a 588-amino acid protein which is a novel member of the immunoglobulin superfamily with a characteristic V-V-C2-C2-C2 immunoglobulin domain structure. This structure has been described previously for the human MUC18 melanoma antigen (31% amino acid identity) and chicken and rat versions of a neural adhesion molecule referred to as SC1/DM-GRASP/BEN or KG-CAM, respectively (26% amino acid identity). This homology is suggestive of a role for B-CAM in cell-cell or cell-matrix adhesion. The gene for B-CAM has been mapped by fluorescence in situ hybridization to chromosome 19q13.2-13.3.

High-molecular-weight glycoproteins of human teratocarcinoma defined by monoclonal antibodies to carbohydrate determinants.

Three mouse monoclonal antibodies to distinct cell surface antigens were derived from immunizations with cells of Tera-1, a human teratocarcinoma cell line, and a membrane preparation of placental tissue. The distribution of the antigens on 165 cultured lines of various human tumors and normal cells was determined by mixed hemadsorption assays and on fresh tissues by immunofluorescence staining. K4 antigen is expressed on cell lines derived from teratocarcinomas but not on any other cultured cell tested. Normal adult colonic epithelium, some fetal tissues, and specimens of testicular teratocarcinoma were also K4 positive. K21 antigen was detected on teratocarcinoma cell lines and, at more than 100-fold lower levels, on cultures of normal and malignant kidney epithelium but not on other cultured cells. K21 expression in normal tissues is restricted to the epithelium of fetal intestine and bronchus. Other fetal tissues and all adult normal tissues tested lacked K21. A subset of teratocarcinoma specimens (5 of 8) was reactive with antibody K21. P12 antigen is represented on a wide range of cell lines and tissues, including a subset of teratocarcinomas. AbK4, AbK21, and AbP12 react with carbohydrate sequences present on high-molecular-weight glycoproteins. AbK21 and AbP12 recognize the lacto-N-tetraose and lacto-N-fucopentaose III (X-hapten) structures, respectively, whereas AbK4 reacts with a neuraminidase-sensitive determinant.

Differential expression of cell surface antigens and glial fibrillary acidic protein in human astrocytoma subsets.

We have characterized five distinct cell surface antigens of human astrocytomas and correlated their expression with the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and four previously defined cell surface markers of astrocytomas. One of the newly studied antigens, A4, which was originally detected on rat central nervous system (but not peripheral nervous system) neurons, is expressed on GFAP+ human astrocytoma cells, but not on GFAP- astrocytomas or a wide range of other neuroectodermal, epithelial, and hematopoietic cells. Antigens F19 (Mr 140,000/90,000 glycoprotein) and F24 (Mr 90,000 glycoprotein) also show restricted distribution and are expressed on subsets of neuroectodermal and mesenchymal cells. Antigens G253 (Mr 95,000 glycoprotein) and S5 (Mr 120,000 glycoprotein) are more widely distributed on the cultured cell panel. The distribution of these antigens was determined on a series of 22 astrocytoma cell lines and in normal brain tissue and the results were compared with the distribution of 5 additional glial cell markers: GFAP and cell surface antigens A010 (Mr 110,000 glycoprotein); AJ8 (Mr 100,000 glycoprotein); LK26 (Mr 35,000 glycoprotein); and Thy-1. Distinct patterns of expression on cultured astrocytomas and in neural tissues were identified for all antigenic systems studied, and cell surface expression of antigen A4 was found to correlate closely with GFAP phenotype of cultured astrocytomas. The antigens described in this study provide new markers to study normal glial differentiation and to correlate the phenotypes and biological behavior of distinct subsets of astrocytomas.

Expression of Lewisa, Lewisb, X, and Y blood group antigens in human colonic tumors and normal tissue and in human tumor-derived cell lines.

Serological and immunopathological analysis of the expression of Lea, Leb, X, and Y blood group antigens on cell lines and tissues was performed using a panel of mouse monoclonal antibodies. The distribution of the antigens was determined on 155 malignant tumor cell lines of various types and 10 short term cultures of normal fibroblasts and kidney cells. Among colon cancers, all four blood group antigens were expressed on the majority of cell lines. On lung, breast, bladder, and ovarian cancer cell lines, X and Y antigens were the main specificities found, whereas few of the renal and hematopoietic tumor cell lines demonstrated any of the four blood group antigens. No blood group antigens could be detected on astrocytoma or melanoma cell lines. The expression of the antigens was also analyzed on frozen sections of colon carcinoma and adjacent normal colon tissue from 42 patients using the immunoperoxidase method. Lea and X were detected throughout the normal colon and on most colonic tumors. In poorly differentiated colon cancer and in metastatic cancer, decrease of Lea antigen was observed. Leb and Y expression was observed in only 20-45% of normal tissue samples but in almost all colonic carcinoma tissues. A selected number of tumor and normal specimens from patients whose secretor status was known were examined in more detail. Both the staining of the tissues and the reactivity of blood group glycolipids from the same specimens were determined. These studies confirmed the above findings and demonstrated the unexpected ability of tumors of nonsecretors to express Leb and/or Y antigens. In such individuals, in whom the expression of Leb and Y antigens in normal tissues is absent or minimal, these antigens provide possible targets for immunodiagnosis and therapy.

Regulation and heteromeric structure of the fibroblast activation protein in normal and transformed cells of mesenchymal and neuroectodermal origin.

The human fibroblast activation protein (FAP), defined by monoclonal antibody F19, is expressed in vivo in reactive stromal fibroblasts of epithelial cancers, subsets of bone and soft tissue sarcomas, and granulation tissue of healing wounds. FAP is generally absent from the stroma of benign epithelial tumors and normal adult tissues. In vitro FAP induction is observed in proliferating cultured fibroblasts and in melanocytes grown with fibroblast growth factor and phorbol ester. In the present study, we show that fibroblast and melanocyte FAP is a cell surface protein comprising noncovalently linked M(r) 95,000 (p95) and M(r) 105,000 (p105) subunits. In contrast, cultured sarcoma and melanoma cell lines express only p95 or are FAP negative. Immunoblot experiments show that p95, but not p105, carries the epitope defined by monoclonal antibody F19. Furthermore, peptide maps of purified p95 and p105 differ, suggesting that they may be distinct gene products. Loss of FAP or a change from p95/p105 to p95 expression accompanies the acquisition of growth factor independence and tumorigenicity in several in vitro test systems, including simian virus 40 transformation of normal fibroblasts, Ha-ras transformation of normal melanocytes, supertransformation of osteosarcoma cells, and enhanced N-MYC expression in variant neuroblastoma cells, whereas serum-starved normal fibroblasts continue to express p95/p105. Thus, fAP expression appears to be linked to the growth factor-dependent proliferative capacity of normal cells and is not merely a secondary event in proliferating cells; furthermore, FAP expression is inversely correlated with growth factor independence and tumorigenicity in transformed cell lines. This distribution pattern is consistent with a role for p95/p105 in mediating extrinsic, growth regulatory signals in normal cells, possibly as a heteromeric cell surface receptor. Such a physiological function may be obviated when oncogenes with cytoplasmic or nuclear sites of action are activated, reducing extrinsic growth factor dependence and permitting down-regulation of FAP in certain transformed cells.

Expression of the fibroblast activation protein during mouse embryo development.

Human Fibroblast Activation Protein (FAP), a member of the serine prolyl oligopeptidase family, is a type II cell surface glycoprotein that acts as a dual-specificity dipeptidyl-peptidase (DPP) and collagenase in vitro. Its restricted expression pattern in embryonic mesenchyme, in wound healing and in reactive stromal fibroblasts of epithelial cancers, has suggested a role for the FAP protease in extracellular matrix degradation or growth factor activation in sites of tissue remodeling. The FAP homologue in Xenopus laevis has been reported to be induced in the thyroid hormone-induced tail resorption program during tadpole metamorphosis supporting a role for FAP in tissue remodeling processes during embryonic development. However, Fap-deficient mice show no overt developmental defects and are viable. To study the expression of FAP during mouse embryogenesis, a second Fap-deficient mouse strain expressing beta-Galactosidase under the control of the Fap promoter was generated by homologous recombination (Fap-/- lacZ mice). FAP deficiency was confirmed by the absence of FAP-specific dipeptidyl-peptidase activity in detergent-soluble extracts isolated from 17.5 d.p.c. Fap-/- lacZ embryos. We report that Fap-/- lacZ mice express beta-Galactosidase at regions of active tissue remodeling during embryogenesis including somites and perichondrial mesenchyme from cartilage primordia.

Expression of cytokeratins in normal and neoplastic colonic epithelial cells. Implications for cellular differentiation and carcinogenesis.

Cells of the normal colonic mucosa express several types of cytokeratins, the characteristic intermediate filament proteins of epithelial cells. An immunohistochemical study was designed to examine the expression of two distinct groups of cytokeratins, recognized by monoclonal antibodies AE1 and AE3, in the colonic mucosa and to compare the findings with those obtained with a large number of polypoid lesions (adenomatous and hyperplastic) and carcinomas of the colon. AE1 and AE3 immunostaining was found in the surface epithelium and upper portions of the crypts of Lieberkühn (functional zone) of normal colonic mucosa, whereas the lower portions of the crypts (proliferative compartment) were unreactive with both AE1 and AE3. Polypoid lesions of the colonic mucosa can be placed into two categories based on their patterns of cytokeratin expression. Solitary tubular adenomas and hyperplastic polyps are composed of AE1 and AE3 nonexpressing cells with only few, patchy areas of AE1 and AE3 expressing cells present within glands and in the surface epithelium. In contrast, villous adenomas show strong AE1 and AE3 reactivity throughout the glands. Furthermore, tubular and villous adenomas, and even histologically normal mucosa in patients with familial polyposis, show AE1/AE3 expression throughout the glands and surface epithelium. Colonic carcinomas show a predominance of AE1/AE3 expressing cells. Thus, cytokeratins recognized by monoclonal antibodies AE1 and AE3 represent molecular markers of cellular maturation in the normal colonic mucosa, that are expressed in colonic carcinomas and, in addition, serve as markers that distinguish colonic mucosa and adenomas with a high risk for development of cancers from those with a lower risk.

Comparison of cell surface antigen HBA71 (p30/32MIC2), neuron-specific enolase, and vimentin in the immunohistochemical analysis of Ewing's sarcoma of bone.

The HBA71 antigen is an M(r) 30,000/32,000 cell surface glycoprotein (p30/32MIC2), encoded by the pseudoautosomal MIC2 gene on chromosomes X and Y, that is expressed in Ewing's sarcomas. Immunohistochemical studies demonstrate a striking specificity for HBA71 among neoplasms of diverse histologic types. In the present study, 43 cases of Ewing's sarcoma of bone were tested for HBA71 expression and six additional immunohistochemical markers regularly used in the differential diagnosis of small round-cell tumors of childhood and adolescence (neuron-specific enolase, vimentin, leukocyte common antigen, cytokeratins, muscle-specific actin, desmin). The study design included (a) random selection of Ewing's sarcoma cases from the files of Memorial Hospital beginning in 1968, (b) blind review of the original histopathologic diagnoses of ES, (c) side-by-side immunohistochemical study of recut histologic specimens, and (d) statistical analysis of immunohistochemical findings in view of clinical outcome. Of the seven antigens studied, only HBA71, neuron-specific enolase and vimentin were expressed in a significant proportion of cases. Forty-one of the 43 cases were HBA71+ (95% sensitivity); of these, 21 were neuron-specific enolase+, 29 were vimentin+, and 15 were both neuron-specific enolase+ and vimentin+. One tumor lacked all antigens, and one was vimentin+ only. Comparison of tumor tissues in five patients obtained before and after cytostatic chemotherapy showed no change in HBA71 expression or in the other antigens tested. Product-limit survival analysis (median disease-free survival was 27.3 months for the study cohort) revealed no significance of neuron-specific enolase or vimentin marker status. These results raise doubts about the usefulness of neuron-specific enolase and vimentin immunohistochemistry to distinguish Ewing's sarcoma from other small round-cell tumors of childhood and adolescence or as prognostic indicators in Ewing's sarcoma. The positive identification of Ewing's sarcoma of bone now becomes a reality using HBA71 immunohistochemistry, either as a sole method or in combination with chromosomal breakpoint analysis. This may result in achieving uniform diagnostic criteria for evaluating the biologic, therapeutic, and prognostic aspects of Ewing's sarcoma and related neoplasms.

Cell type-specific control of human neuronectin secretion by polypeptide mediators and phorbol ester.

Neuronectin (NEC1) is a human extracellular matrix (ECM) protein expressed with a unique rostrocaudal pattern in white matter of the normal adult central nervous system. In addition, NEC1 is expressed in normal fetal and adult smooth muscle, along certain epithelial-mesenchymal junctions, and transiently in developing fetal cartilage. Region-specific induction of NEC1 is found in dermal wounds and in the reactive stroma of actinic keratoses, psoriatic skin lesions, and a range of malignant tumors. One explanation for these diverse tissue patterns is that cells capable of producing NEC1 are widely distributed in neural and mesenchymal tissues, but they become NEC1 producers only when induced by region-specific differentiation signals. In this study, we used cultured human cells to show that several regulatory polypeptides, including fibroblast growth factors, tumor necrosis factor, platelet-derived growth factor, nerve growth factor, and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), as well as 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (TPA), modulate NEC1 secretion, with distinct patterns of inducing and inhibitory activities in different neural and mesenchymal cell types. TPA and TGF-beta act both as inducers and inhibitors of NEC1 secretion, depending on the target cell. These effects are specific for NEC1 and are not seen for several other secreted and membrane proteins studied. We suggest that NEC1 expression comes under different modes of extrinsic control in different cell lineages and in response to tissue injury and neoplasia.

Immunohistochemical analysis of human neuronectin expression in normal, reactive, and neoplastic tissues.

Neuronectin (NEC1) is a human extracellular matrix protein of central nervous system (CNS) parenchyma found throughout the white matter of rostral brain segments (telencephalon, diencephalon, some areas of mesencephalon), but not in rostral CNS gray matter, most areas of mesencephalon, pons, cerebellum, medulla, spinal cord, or peripheral nerves. The present immunohistochemical study, using two monoclonal antibodies to distinct epitopes on the NEC1 molecule, examined NEC1 expression in normal non-neural tissues, malignant tumors of diverse histological types, non-malignant skin lesions, and dermal incision wounds. We show that (a) NEC1 is expressed in normal fetal precartilage blastemas and fetal and adult vascular and visceral smooth muscle, but not in most loose connective tissues and skeletal or cardiac muscle; (b) NEC1 is found along epithelial-mesenchymal junctions, with marked differences in prevalence and histological patterns in different organs; and (c) mesenchymal activation associated with wound healing, actinic keratosis, psoriasis, and neoplasia leads to strong induction of NEC1 expression. Parallel studies with cultured human cells suggest that region-specific NEC1 expression in normal developing tissues and localized induction in wound healing and disparate diseases is under the control of extrinsic signals provided by regulatory polypeptides.

Immunohistochemical analysis of nerve growth factor receptor expression in normal and malignant human tissues.

Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a polypeptide important for normal development of the nervous system and promotion of survival and differentiation of sensory and sympathetic neurons in culture. The cellular effects of NGF are mediated by a specific cell surface molecule, nerve growth factor receptor (NGF-R). In the present study we have used a monoclonal antibody against human NGF-R to examine, by the avidin-biotin-immunoperoxidase method, the receptor distribution in a wide range of normal tissues and in more than 200 malignant tumors. Our results show that (a) human NGF-R is expressed in the peripheral nervous system but not in any of the central nervous system areas tested; (b) NGF-R expression is not restricted to neural tissues but is also found in a number of normal epithelial, mesenchymal, and lymphoid tissues; (c) NGF-R expression changes during normal development; and (d) NGF-R expression in malignant tumors generally parallels its normal tissue distribution. Thus, NGF-R is detected in a proportion of neuroectoderm-derived tumors, carcinomas, and lymphomas, and also in a characteristic group of small round-cell tumors (Ewing's sarcomas and embryonal rhabdomyosarcomas). These findings suggest a normal regulatory role for NGF in both neuronal and non-neuronal cells and identify a range of human tumors in which the NGF/NGF-R system may contribute to the malignant phenotype.