HtStopathOlofly 1994, 25, 463-467 Tetranectin expression in human colonic neoplasia zy H.W.VERSPAGET, I.CLEMMENSEN*, S.GANESH, L.CHRISTENSEN7, C.F.M.SIER, G .GRIFFIOEN zyxwvut 81 C .B.H. W. LAMERS zyxwvu Department oj Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Leiden, The Netherlands, *DAKO A/S and Department of Clinical Microbiology, and tDepartment 01 Pathology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark Date of submission 9 November 1 9 9 3 Accepted for publication 2 7 April 1994 VERSPAGET H.W.. CLEMMENSEN I.. GANESH zyxwvutsrqp S.. CHRISTENSEN L.. SIER C.F.M.. GRIPFIOEN G. zyxwv & LAMERS C.B.H.W. (1994) Histopathology 25, 463-467 Tetranectin expression in human colonic neoplasia The expression of tetranectin in colonic neoplasia was evaluated by determining the tissue distribution by immunohistological analysis of tissue sections and the antigen levels in tissue homogenates and plasma. In normal colonic mucosa tetranectin staining was predominantly found in the goblet cells whereas in adenocarcinomas this staining was confined to the tumour stroma. Colonic adenomas, benign precursors of adenocarcinomas, showed fewer tetranectin positive goblet cells and in some cases showed tetranectin expression in the stroma. Within the tissue homogenates no differences were found in the tetranectin levels between normal mucosa, adenomas and carcinomas. Patients with colonic cancer were found to have significantly decreased plasma tetranectin levels compared to healthy controls. Thus, colonic neoplasia is associated with a change in the tissue distribution of tetranectin, without an obvious change in the tissue level, and a low plasma tetranectin level. Keywords: adenomas, carcinomas, colon, tetranectin Introduction Tetranectin is a protein found in plasma and in almost all normal cells, e.g. epithelia, fibroblasts and leukocytes’-5. Moreover, tetranectin has been found to be deposited by fibroblasts in vitro and is abundantly present in the extracellular matrix of malignant breast The protein and gene structure of tetranectin have been established but its exact functional role remains to be elucidateds-lO. It is thought to play a role in fibrinolysis because of its ability to bind plasminogen and to participate in the plasminogen activation cascade’. These proteolytic processes are also considered to be involved in tumour growth, invasion, and metastasis’’. In particular, the constituents of the plasminogen activation pathway, i.e. plasminogen activators and their inhibitors, play an active role in tumour develop- ment12-17.We previously found that colonic neoplasia is associated with a n increase in the urokinase-type plasminogen activator and the inhibitors zyxwvu type-1 and Address for correspondence: Dr Hein W.Verspaget, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. University Hospital Leiden. Building 1. C4-Pl2. PO Box 9600.2300 RC Leiden. The Netherlands. type-2, with a concomitant decrease in the tissue-type plasminogen In the present study we evaluated the tetranectin expression at tissue level in different stages of colonic neoplasia, i.e. adenomas and carcinomas as compared to normal colonic mucosa. This was correlated with plasma levels of tetranectin in patients with colonic cancer in order to gain an insight into its role in tumour-associated fibrinolysisin the colon. Materials and methods HISTOPATHOLOGY AND IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY Adenocarcinomas (n = 17) of the human colon were from fresh resection specimens obtained from the Department of Surgery, University Hospital Leiden. Adenomas (n = 15) were freshly obtained by polypect- omy at the Department of Gastroenterology in Leiden. Representative portions of tissue were selected, routinely fixed in 10% phosphatebuffered formaldehyde (pH 7.0) and embedded in parafEn wax. Normal colonic mucosa (n = 32) obtained from the resection margins of the surgery specimens or present in the polypectomized 463