Antineuronal nuclei immunohistochemical staining patterns in childhood ependymomas

NeuN, the mouse-derived monoclonal antibody to the reportedly neuron-specif ic nuclear protein, has been observed to react with many different types of normal, postmitotic neurons throughout the central and peripheral nervous systems. We retrospectively examined 23 surgical specimens (collected from 20 patients) originally diagnosed at our institution between 1983 and 1999 as ependymoma (9), myxopapillary ependymoma (1), anaplastic/malignant epend ymoma (10), and primitive neuroectodermal tumor with ependymal differentiat ion (3). The ependymomas included lesions from the spine (3), cerebrum (5), and posterior fossa (15). Representative formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections from each tumor were subjected to immunohistochemical staining wi th antibody against NeuN (Chemicon International, Inc, Temecula, CA). Five astrocytomas, four primitive neuroectodermal tumors, and normal cerebral co rtex and ependyma from autopsy brains of premature newborns, term infants, and older children served as controls. Thirteen ependymal tumors had positi ve nuclear staining ranging from rare tumor cells to numerous groups of cel ls; of these, 9 were anaplastic ependymomas and had the most staining. Thes e studies suggest that some ependymomas arise from a pluripotential neurogl ial cell.