O-GLYCOSYLATION EXPRESSION IN FIBROADENOMA

Abstract

Fibroadenomas are human benign breast tumors characterized by proliferation of epithelial and stroma cells of the terminal ductal unit. Expression of O-glycans seems to contribute to the proliferation and transformation events. With this in mind, we evaluated the expression of glycans in fibroadenoma tissue through immunohistochemistry with antibodies against mucin epitopes (Anti CA15-3 and MUC1), as well as with lectins specific for glycans linked to proteins or lipids, and we compared findings with healthy breast specimens. Our results show positive expression of CA15-3 and MUC1 in fibroadenoma tissue, mainly in duct and stroma cells, whereas, in normal samples, staining was observed in duct cells. The lectin from Glycine max recognized equally well duct and stroma cells; this was the only lectin showing co-localization with anti-CA15-3 in healthy and tumor tissues. Dolichos biflorus, Artocarpus integrifolia, and Griffonia simplicifolia lectins recognized duct cells in control healthy tissues as well as in fibroadenoma tissue. The lectin from Amaranthus leucocarpus recognized only duct cells in control samples, whereas, in fibroadenoma tissue, it recognized duct and some stromal cells, suggesting that O-glycans-type mucin linked to proteins and mucin participate in the development of fibroadenomas.

Keywords:

• breast cancer
• fibroadenoma
• mucin
• O-glycosylation
• plant lectins

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This work was supported by Conacyt Fondo Salud 2005 02-14322 and the Programa Universitario de Epidemiología, Genómica y Proteómica (SDEI.PTID.05.2), UNAM, Mexico.

Notes

*The presence and absence of staining in breast samples was recorded as follow: No stain 0, ductal stain 1, ductal and estromal stain 2 and ductal and some estromal cells 3.

*Fisher's exact test using the approximation of Woolf.