S 100 protein in experimental rat tumors of the central and peripheral nervous system

Immunochemistry of ethylnitrosourea-induced rat neurinomas, the RN6 neurinoma cell line and their transplantation tumors

The expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), vimentin, S-100 protein (S-100), HNK-1, myelin basic protein (MBP) and fibronectin was investigated immunohistochemically in 51 ethylnitrosourea (ENU)-induced neurinomas of the rat. Additionally, 90 transplantation tumors derived from ENU-induced neurinomas and the RN6 rat neurinoma cell clone were studied. Vimentin immunoreactivity was shown in 50/51 primary neurinomas and 60/90 transplantation tumors. In contrast, GFAP was expressed in only 23/51 primary tumors and in 5/90 transplantation tumors. In the RN6 neurinoma clone, vimentin and GFAP could be demonstrated both in vivo and in vitro. GFAP expression varied depending on the tumor localization, i.e., tumors of distal portions of peripheral nerves were more frequently GFAP positive than tumors of the spinal roots or of cranial nerves. The same tendency was observed for S-100. In the series of transplantation tumors S-100 and GFAP immunoreactivity decreased with increasing numbers of transplantation passages. Only individual cells in 5 primary tumors were HNK-1 positive and no MBP-immunoreactive cells were observed. Our results demonstrate that the expression of differentiation antigens in ENU-induced experimental neurinomas parallels the results reported for human neurinomas.

Morphological, immunocytochemical and biological characteristics of experimental rabbit brain tumors in tissue culture

Brain tumors were induced in 3-month-old rabbits of either sex by repeated intravenous injections of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea. Twelve brain tumors (6 pleomorphic gliomas, 5 grade 2--3 astrocytomas, 1 grade 2--3 oligodendroglioma) were established in culture and, with the exception of 2 neoplasms, were propagated in vitro as permanent cell lines. The glial nature of all cell lines was ascertained at several passage levels by testing the cells for the production of S-100 and GFA. It could be shown that most cells of all lines fluoresced positively for the S-100 protein, albeit differences in intensity of fluorescence were clearly noted between cells of the same culture and between different cultures. In general, astrocytoma cell lines had the strongest fluorescence. Pleomorphic glioma cells but especially astrocytoma cells reacted positively also for the GFA protein. Surprisingly enough, isolated cells of the oligodendroglioma line also showed evidence of GFA production. Exposure of cultures of rabbit glioma cells to db-cAMP for 8--10 hr resulted in inhibition of cell proliferation and stimulation of process formation. Furthermore, positive fluorescence for the S-100 and GFA proteins was more intense in cells treated with db-cAMP than in untreated cells. The latter observation may indicate that production and/or accumulation of glial proteins also was enhanced during the stationary phase of cell cultures.