IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL DETECTION OF CRIPTO-1, AMPHIREGULIN AND TRANSFORMING GROWTH-FACTOR-ALPHA IN HUMAN GASTRIC CARCINOMAS AND INTESTINAL METAPLASIAS

The expression and localization of cripto-1 (CR-1), amphiregulin (AR) and transforming growth factor alpha (TGFalpha) were assessed by immun ocytochemistry in 37 primary human gastric tumors, 30 noninvolved gast ric mucosa samples that were adjacent to carcinoma but exhibited intes tinal metaplasia and 37 adjacent, noninvolved gastric mucosa samples. Seventeen (46%), nineteen (51%) and twenty-one (57%) carcinomas showed staining for CR-1, AR and TGFalpha, respectively; whereas sixteen (53 %), eight (26%) and five (17%) intestinal metaplasias were reactive wi th the anti-CR-1, anti-AR and anti-TGFalpha antibodies, respectively. In contrast, none of the normal, noninvolved gastric mucosa samples re acted with the TGFalpha antibody and only 1 (3%) of these samples show ed weak staining with the anti-CR-1 antibody. However, 8 (21%) of the normal gastric mucosa samples showed moderate levels of staining with the AR antibody. Within the carcinomas, there was a slight trend for a ssociation between TGFalpha and CR-1 expression (p<0.05), but no corre lation was found between epidermal growth factor receptor and CR-1 exp ression. Staining for p53 was observed in 26 (70%) of the carcinomas, 3 (10%) intestinal metaplasias and none of the gastric mucosa samples. This data demonstrate that CR-1, like TGFalpha, may be a tumor marker for a subset of gastric carcinomas in addition to being an important factor in the early stages of gastric cancer development.