COMPARISON OF CELL-ADHESION MOLECULE EXPRESSION BETWEEN GLIOBLASTOMA-MULTIFORME AND AUTOLOGOUS NORMAL BRAIN-TISSUE

We investigated glioblastoma multiforme (GEM) for a pattern of consist ent alterations in cell adhesion molecules (CAM) expression that might distinguish tumor from normal autologous brain tissue. We used frozen section immunohistochemistry with anti-CAM and computerized image ana lysis to quantify staining intensity which we expressed as relative in tensity units (RIU). Our results showed that normal brain tissue gener ally did not express alpha(1) beta(1), intercellular CAM-1 (ICAM-1), a nd sialylated Lewis(x), slightly expressed alpha(2), alpha(4), alpha(5 ), alpha(6) beta(1), alpha(v) beta(3), lymphocyte function-associated antigen-3 (LFA-3), Lewis(x), sialylated LewisLewis(x), had a good expr ession of alpha(3) beta(1) and CD44, and strongly expressed neural CAM (NCAM). GBM expressed alpha(2), alpha(3), alpha(5), alpha(6) beta(3), ICAM-1, LFA-3, CD44, Lewis(x), sialylated Lewis(x), and sialylated Le wisLewis(x) significantly higher (2-11-fold RIU) than normal brain tis sue. ICAM-1 and LFA-3 were the most distinctive markers of GBM. The sm all blood vessel endothelial cells of the normal brain and the GBM sho wed a few differences. The tumor endothelium expression of alpha(2) be ta(1), alpha(4) beta(1), and LFA-3 RIU appeared twice higher than in n ormal endothelium and alpha(6) beta(1) showed an average of 40% RIU de crease in comparison to normal. These results show that the expression of several CAM is consistently altered in GBM and its microvasculatur e when compared with autologous normal brain tissue.