DIFFERENTIAL EXPRESSION OF SHP2, A PROTEIN-TYROSINE-PHOSPHATASE WITH SRC HOMOLOGY-2 DOMAINS, IN VARIOUS TYPES OF RENAL TUMOR

SHP2, a widely distributed protein-tyrosine phosphatase with src homol ogy-2 (SH2) domains, is highly expressed in the brain and may play a r ole in synaptic communications or cellular proliferation. In this stud y, we examined SHP2 protein expression in 110 renal cell tumours of va rious histological subtypes, including clear, granular, papillary, chr omophobe, collecting duct, and sarcomatoid-type renal cell carcinoma ( RCC), and oncocytoma. SHP2 was expressed predominantly in normal dista l tubules and collecting ducts, and positivity in various types of ren al tumours was as follows: clear cell RCC, 0% (0/77 cases); granular, 7.7% (1/13); papillary, 50% (3/6); sarcomatoid, 0% (0/1); chromophobe, 85.7% (6/7); collecting duct carcinoma, 0% (0/2); oncocytoma, 100% (4 /4). Clear and granular-type RCCs showed a very low but positive expre ssion of SHP2. Chromophobe RCC and oncocytoma showed the highest rates and strongest intensities of SHP2 protein on immunostaining. SHP2 may serve as a powerful marker in detecting rare tumours. Estimates of it s expression may be useful in histological diagnosis.