Flow cytometric and immunohistochemical analysis of p62c-myc oncoprotein in the bronchial epithelium of lung cancer patients

• Published in: Anticancer research Vol. 11; no. 6; p. 2111
• Main Authors: Sundaresan, V, Reeve, J G, Wilson, B, Bleehen, N M, Watson, J V
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Greece 01-11-1991
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Carcinoma, Bronchogenic - chemistry; Carcinoma, Bronchogenic - genetics; Epithelium - chemistry; Female; Flow Cytometry; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Lung Neoplasms - chemistry; Lung Neoplasms - genetics; Male; Middle Aged; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc - analysis
• ISSN: 0250-7005

The expression of p62c-myc in bronchial resection lines (BRLs) from lung cancer and control patients, has been examined by immunohistochemistry and parallel flow cytometry using antibodies directed against the p62c-myc oncoprotein. Both methods indicated a marked increase in nuclear p62c-myc levels in BRLs from tumour cases as compared to control BRLs. Immunohistochemistry also revealed greater cytoplasmic positivity in BRLs from cancer patients than from control cases. Flow cytometric quantitation of nuclear p62c-myc confirmed the immunohistochemical findings demonstrating that the median level of nuclear p62-myc fluorescence in BRLs from tumour cases was 1919 fluorescence units (FU) (range:216-7367 FU) and 144 FU (range:0-1365 FU) for non-tumour control BRLs. No consistent difference in p62c-myc fluorescence was observed between BRLs from smokers and non smokers. Both methods indicated that in lung tumour cases, nuclear p62c-myc was increased in histologically normal and abnormal BRLs, suggesting that hyperexpression of this protein is an early event preceding detectable morphological change. These results suggest that increased p62c-myc levels may be an early event in the pathogenesis of lung cancer.