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Vol.52 No.2 contents | Japanese/English |
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- Review Article -
Clues to the Early Diagnosis of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma -Evaluation of Cytological Features at the Molecular Level-
Tohru Tsujimura1, Ayuko Sato1, Ikuko Torii1, Toshiaki Kamei2, Seiki Hasegawa3, Takashi Nakano41Division of Molecular Pathology, Department of Pathology, Hyogo College of Medicine, Japan, 2Division of Pathology, Yamaguchi Grand Medical Center, Japan, 3Department of Thoracic Surgery, 4Division of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Hyogo College of Medicine, Japan
Objective. Cytological features of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) in the pleural effusion cytology are cyanophilic thick cytoplasm, cell-in-cell engulfment, and multinucleated cells. There is a possibility that intermediate filaments are involved in the formation of cyanophilic thick cytoplasm, and cell adhesion molecules, which trigger cell fusion, play an important role in the formation of cell-in-cell engulfment and multinucleated cells. We examined the expression of intermediate filaments and cell adhesion molecules in MPM and reactive mesothelium (RM). Methods. The gene expression profiling of MPM and RM was analyzed by Affymetrix Human Genome U133 Plus 2.0 Array. The expression of intermediate filaments in MPM was compared with that in RM. In addition, immunocytochemistry of CD146 was performed on cytological specimens of MPM and RM using 2 clones of CD146 antibody. Results. Various intermediate filaments were expressed in MPM at higher levels than those in RM. MPM were positive for CD146 by either clone, whereas RM were negative for both clones. Conclusion. The high expression of intermediate filaments in MPM may play a role in the formation of cyanophilic thick cytoplasm. CD146 and other cell adhesion molecules may participate in the formation of cell-in-cell engulfment and multinucleated cells.
key words: Malignant pleural mesothelioma, Reactive mesothelium, CD146, Cell adhesion molecule, Intermediate filament
JJLC 52 (2): 196-200, 2012
