Secretion of intelectin-1 from malignant pleural mesothelioma into pleural effusion

Br J Cancer. 2010 Aug 10;103(4):517-23. doi: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6605786. Epub 2010 Jul 13.

Abstract

Background: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare but fatal tumour. Although most MPM patients show pleural effusion at even the early stage, it is hard to diagnose as MPM at the early stage because a sensitive and reliable diagnostic marker for MPM has not been found in plasma or pleural effusion.

Methods: In this study, we investigated whether intelectin-1 was specifically contained in MPM cells and the pleural effusion of MPM patient by immunohistochemistry, western blotting, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Results: Malignant pleural mesothelioma cell lines, but not lung adenocarcinoma cell lines, secreted intelectin-1. In immunohistochemistry, epithelioid-type MPMs, but neither pleura-invading lung adenocarcinomas nor reactive mesothelial cells near the lung adenocarcinomas, were stained with anti-intelectin antibodies. Pleural effusion of MPM patients contained a higher concentration of intelectin-1 than that of lung cancer patients.

Conclusion: These results suggest that detection of intelectin-1 may be useful for a differential diagnosis of epithelioid-type MPM in immunohistochemistry and that a high concentration of intelectin-1 in pleural effusion can be used as a new marker for clinical diagnosis of MPM.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / analysis
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / metabolism*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cytokines / analysis
  • Cytokines / metabolism*
  • GPI-Linked Proteins
  • Humans
  • Lectins / analysis
  • Lectins / metabolism*
  • Male
  • Mesothelioma / metabolism*
  • Middle Aged
  • Pleura / metabolism
  • Pleural Effusion, Malignant / chemistry
  • Pleural Effusion, Malignant / metabolism*
  • Pleural Neoplasms / metabolism*

Substances

  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • Cytokines
  • GPI-Linked Proteins
  • ITLN1 protein, human
  • Lectins