Determination of cell proliferative activity by immnunohistochemical detection of proliferating cell nuclear antigen in N‐methyl nitrosoureainduced rat mammary tumours

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 188-194
Author(s):  
R. Barathidasan ◽  
R. V. S. Pawaiya ◽  
R. B. Rai ◽  
K. Dhama

Rodent experimental models are considered useful experimental systems to study mammary cancer, which occurs in rodents as a result of hormonal imbalance, much like the breast cancer in women. Rodent cells are easier to transform by chemical carcinogen due to their relatively poorer controls of genetic stability and DNA repair systems. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is one of the most sensitive biomarkers to measure the cell proliferative activities in the neoplasms, especially when the otherwise undetectable PCNA protein over‐expresses to the immunohistochemically detectable levels. In the present study, mammary tumours were induced in Sprague Dawley rats by intraperitoneal administration of N‐methyl nitrosourea (MNU) chemical carcinogen. Palpable tumours were noticed after 60 days postinjection (dpi) with average latency period of 144 days, and 12 (46.15%) of 26 rats developed mammary tumours. A total of 18 tumours were diagnosed in 12 rats, including 2 cases (10%) of hyperplasia, 1 (5%) benign and 17 malignant tumours (85%). Malignant tumours included in situ ductal papillary carcinoma (11.11%), in situ ductal cribriform carcinoma (38.88%), invasive tubular adenocarcinoma (5.56%), invasive papillary carcinoma (16.67%) and invasive cribriform carcinoma (22.22%) were. PCNA immunohistochemistry revealed moderate to strong nuclear staining in neoplastic cells, with highest mean PCNA index of 55.53±10.13 in invasive cribriform carcinoma. The PCNA indices were significantly different (p<0.01; one way ANOVA) between control mammary gland, hyperplasia, benign and malignant tumours. It was concluded that the measurement of PCNA expressing cells employing immunohistochemistry can help in the determination of the level of malignancy in MNU‐induced rat mammary tumours.

1992 ◽  
Vol 40 (9) ◽  
pp. 1269-1273 ◽  
Author(s):  
H K Wolf ◽  
K L Dittrich

We describe the effects of tissue preservation, fixation time, and hydrolytic treatment on the detection of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) by immunoperoxidase staining with three commercial anti-PCNA antibodies (19A2, 19F4, PC10). Our goal was to provide guidelines for PCNA immunohistochemistry in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded specimens. In proliferative cell compartments, nuclear staining was achieved with all three antibodies. In some cases PCNA was also expressed in non-proliferative, histologically normal tissues associated with tumors or other lesions elsewhere. In most autopsy specimens PNCA immunoreactivity was markedly diminished as compared with similar surgical specimens. Incubation overnight with primary antibody at 4 degrees C enhanced PCNA immunoreactivity over incubation at 42 degrees C for 45 min. Pre-treatment with 2 N HCl did not increase staining. Staining with the PC10 antibody was much better preserved than staining with the antibodies 19A2 and 19F4 after prolonged formalin fixation of surgical specimens and in tissues obtained at autopsy. With all three antibodies, however, PCNA immunoreactivity was well preserved during formalin fixation for 8-24 hr and during fixation delays for 8 hr at room temperature. This indicates that PCNA is stable under conditions routinely encountered in diagnostic surgical pathology and facilitates its potential use as a diagnostic proliferation marker.


1994 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 453-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alain Pierre Théon ◽  
Loretta Metzger ◽  
Stephen Griffey

Cell proliferation in canine, feline, and equine tumors was evaluated using immunohistochemical detection of in vitro 5–bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and interchromatin-associated antigen (p105). Ten tumors in each species were analyzed. The tumor proliferative fraction (PF) was defined as the percentage of labeled nuclei for 5,000 tumor nuclei counted. Immunoreactivity was observed with all techniques in all species. A good correlation was observed between the proliferative fractions measured with the BrdU (PFBrdU) and PCNA (PFPCNA) techniques ( rs = 0.523, P = 0.0026). There was no correlation between the PFs measured with the BrdU (PFBrdU) and p105 (PFP105) techniques. Using the median values obtained from the different approaches as cutoff points to define slowly and rapidly proliferating tumors, there was an 80% agreement ( P = 0.009) between PFBrdU and PFPCNA and no agreement between PFBrdU and PFP105 The results of this study indicate that both BrdU and PCNA labeling methods can be used reliably for identifying proliferating cells in animal tumors. In addition, PCNA could be used to replace the BrdU method to assess tumor proliferative fraction because it does not require pretreatment of tissues.


1988 ◽  
Vol 107 (5) ◽  
pp. 1623-1628 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Toschi ◽  
R Bravo

UV irradiation of quiescent human fibroblasts immediately triggers the appearance of the nuclear protein cyclin/proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) as detected by indirect immunofluorescent staining after methanol fixation. This was found to be independent of new synthesis of cyclin/PCNA by two-dimensional gel analysis and cycloheximide treatment. The intensity of the immunofluorescent staining of cyclin/PCNA observed in UV-irradiated cells corresponded with the UV dose used and with the DNA repair synthesis detected by autoradiography. The nuclear staining remains as long as DNA repair activity is detected in the cells. By extracting the UV-irradiated quiescent cells with Triton X-100 and fixing with formaldehyde, it was possible to demonstrate by indirect immunofluorescence rapid changes in the cyclin/PCNA population after irradiation, a small proportion (5-10%) of which is tightly associated to the nucleus as determined by high salt extraction. By incubating at low temperature and depleting the ATP pools of the cells before UV irradiation, we have demonstrated that the changes in cyclin/PCNA distribution observed involve at least two different nuclear associations.


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