E. Chatzaki et al., CHARACTERIZATION OF THE DIFFERENTIAL EXPRESSION OF MARKER ANTIGENS BYNORMAL AND MALIGNANT ENDOMETRIAL EPITHELIUM, British Journal of Cancer, 69(6), 1994, pp. 1010-1014
In order to examine the production of marker proteins, a reproducible
method has been established for culturing purified epithelial cells fr
om normal and malignant endometrium. We have examined the differential
expression of secretory proteins using immunohistochemistry in frozen
tissue sections, immunocytochemistry in cell cultures derived from th
e same specimens and protein assays on the culture supernatants. Place
ntal protein 14 (PP14) was produced by normal premenopausal epithelium
but not by the post-menopausal or malignant endometrial epithelium. I
n contrast, placental alkaline phosphatase (FLAP) was produced by endo
metrial cancers and the endometrial adenocarcinoma-derived cell line I
shikawa, but not by the normal endometrial epithelium. Other markers s
uch as CA-125, which was produced by both normal and malignant endomet
rium but not by the cell line, and human chorionic gonadotrophin (beta
-hCG), which was produced by Ishikawa cells but not by any of the fres
h tissues, were less cancer specific. Placental alkaline phosphatase i
s a direct product of endometrial cancers that can be readily assayed
in serum using this two-site assay to test its clinical usefulness in
monitoring patients at risk for endometrial cancer.