NEUROTROPHIN-3 EXPRESSION IN HUMAN PANCREATIC CANCERS

Some neurotrophic factors stimulate process outgrowth in peripheral an d/or central nerve fibres. There is no published report that has focus ed on the expression of neurotrophic factors in human pancreatic cance r except basic fibroblast growth factor. This study was therefore desi gned to examine the mRNA and protein levels of neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), which is one of the representative neurotrophic factors. The mRNA leve l for NT-3 was first investigated in eight pancreatic cancers and two samples of normal pancreas, using reverse transcription-polymerase cha in reaction (RT-PCR). NT-3 protein expression was then studied in 37 h uman pancreatic cancers, using a monoclonal antibody against human NT- 3 protein. There was a notable difference in the level of NT-3 mRNA be tween normal and pancreatic carcinoma tissues, with no evident differe nce in the expression of the beta-actin gene. Immunohistochemically, 3 4 of 47 pancreatic cancers (72 per cent) were mildly to markedly immun oreactive for NT-3 in the cytoplasm. Immunoreactivity was usually more pronounced at the infiltrative margins of the tumours. These observat ions suggest that pancreatic carcinoma overexpresses NT-3. (C) 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.