A. Avery et al., TGF-BETA EXPRESSION IN THE HUMAN COLON - DIFFERENTIAL IMMUNOSTAINING ALONG CRYPT EPITHELIUM, British Journal of Cancer, 68(1), 1993, pp. 137-139
Samples of colorectal carcinoma, adenoma and normal colorectal mucosa
were examined for the expression of TGF-beta by immunohistochemistry.
Immunoreactivity for TGF-beta was present in 52 out of a total of 58 s
amples of normal mucosa examined. In adenomas and carcinomas TGF-beta
expression was observed in eight out of ten and 46 out of 48 samples r
espectively and was largely restricted to epithelial cells. In normal
mucosa differential expression of TGF-beta was present within epitheli
al cells, those in the upper parts of the crypts showing enhanced immu
noreactivity compared to cells in the proliferative compartment. This
pattern of differential staining is consistent with TGF-beta having an
important role in the control of growth and differentiation in coloni
c mucosa.