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Differences in c‐ fos gene product expression in cancers of the gall‐bladder and biliary tract
Author(s) -
Lee C. Soon
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
pathology international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.73
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1440-1827
pISSN - 1320-5463
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1827.1996.tb03547.x
Subject(s) - immunostaining , gallbladder , biliary tract , pathology , cholecystitis , immunohistochemistry , carcinoma , adenoma , medicine , gall , biology , botany
The c‐ fos gene encodes a 55kDa nuclear protein product that complexes to a cellular protein, p39. The pattern of expression of c‐ fos is particularly complex with Increased expression of the protein observed in undifferentiated cultured cells while reduced expression is found during terminal differentiation. The expression of c‐ fos gene was studied by immuno‐histochemistry in carcinoma of the gall‐bladder ( n =13), biliary tract ( n =5) and ampulla of Vater ( n =9). Non‐malignant conditions Investigated Include chronic cholecystitis (n=11), gall‐bladder dysplasia ( n =3) and adenoma ( n =1), and ampullary carcinoma in situ ( n =3). Strong positive granular cytoplasmic Immunostaining for c‐ fos oncoprotein was present in most gall‐bladder adenocarcinomas ( n =11; 85%). The single gall‐bladder adenoma and only one of the dysplasia cases were positive. Most of the cases of chronic cholecystitis showed either absent or only focal to patchy and weak to moderate c‐ fos Immunoreactivity In the deeper glands and Rokitansky‐Aschoff sinuses but not in the superficial epithelium. None of the biliary tract and ampullary tumors showed Immunostaining for c‐ fos . The difference in c‐ fos immunoreactivity between gall‐bladder carcinoma and chronic cholecystitis was statistically significant ( P =0.0002; χ 2 test with continuity correction). In conclusion, c‐ fos protein may be important in the development of gall‐bladder neoplasia with increased c‐ fos Immunoreactivity in gallbladder carcinoma but not In chronic cholecystitis, biliary tract and ampuliary neoplasms. These findings suggest that gall‐bladder carcinoma may arise from a different genetic basis compared to biliary tract and ampuliary cancers.