Immunohistochemical Localization Of Glutathione-S-Transferase-Pi In Human Colorectal Polyps

Main Category: Colorectal Cancer
Article Date: 24 Sep 2008 - 12:00 PDT

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Specific molecular forms of GST are known to be expressed in preneoplastic cells, and have been known to participate in their resistance to drugs. GST-pi are present in most epithelial tissues of the human gastrointestinal tract. Significant amounts of the class pi GST was expressed in the majority of human tumors and human tumor cell lines. Studies have shown that GST-pi is expressed highly in neoplasm and could be regarded as a tumor marker. However the immunohistochemical and the immunoelectron microscopical localization of GST-pi, in human polyps, are not clear.

A research article published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses this question. The study showed that the immunoreaction of GST-pi was in specific cell-type in adenoma tissues. Electron microscope immunohistochemistry revealed that between different cell types the highest intensity stain was in the columnar epithelial cells. The different density of GST-pi immunoreaction was weak in low-grade dysplasia to strong in high-grade dysplasia. There was an exception in this rule. Authors observed significant ultrastructural changes in some cases histologically characterized as mild-grade dysplasia. They found therefore immature undifferentiated cells showing a fast growing population with many free polyribosomes and enlarged nucleus and nucleoli increased in size and number, showing increased protein synthetic activity. These cases exhibited also strong GST-pi immunoreactivity similar to those of high-grade dysplasia. They found that GST-pi was located in cytoplasm and especially nucleus adjacent to nuclear membrane of colorectal dysplasia cells.

Glutathione-pi analog has recently synthesized. Clinical trials have also shown that GST-pi inhibitor induces the apoptosis in the precancerous lesions and it is expected to become a promising carcinogenesis preventive medicine in future.

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Reference: Gaitanarou E, Seretis E, Xinopoulos D, Paraskevas E, Arnoyiannaki N, Voloudakis-Baltatzis I. Immunohistochemical localization of glutathione S-transferase-pi in human colorectal polyps. World J Gastroenterol 2008; 14(26): 4179-4184 http://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/14/4179.asp

Correspondence to: Dr. IreneVoloudakis-Baltatzis, Department of Cell Biology, Electron Microscopy and Molecular Biology, "G. Papanicolaou" Research Center of Oncology and Experimental Surgery "Agios Savvas" Anticancer Hospital, 171, Alexandras Av., Athens 11522, Greece.

About World Journal of Gastroenterology

World Journal of Gastroenterology (WJG), a leading international journal in gastroenterology and hepatology, has established a reputation for publishing first class research on esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, liver cancer, viral hepatitis, colorectal cancer, and H pylori infection. It provides a forum for both clinicians and scientists. WJG has been indexed and abstracted in Current Contents/Clinical Medicine, Science Citation Index Expanded (also known as SciSearch) and Journal Citation Reports/Science Edition, Index Medicus, MEDLINE and PubMed, Chemical Abstracts, EMBASE/Excerpta Medica, Abstracts Journals, Nature Clinical Practice Gastroenterology and Hepatology, CAB Abstracts and Global Health. ISI JCR 2003-2000 IF: 3.318, 2.532, 1.445 and 0.993. WJG is a weekly journal published by WJG Press. The publication dates are the 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th of every month. The WJG is supported by The National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 30224801 and No. 30424812, and was founded with the title China National Journal of New Gastroenterology on October 1, 1995, and renamed WJG on January 25, 1998.

About The WJG Press

The WJG Press mainly publishes World Journal of Gastroenterology.

Source: Lai-Fu Li
World Journal of Gastroenterology

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