gastrins and Skin-Neoplasms

Topics: Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; Chorionic Gonadotropin; Erythropoietin; Gastrins; Genetic Code; Gonadotropins, Pituitary; Hormones; Humans; Insulin; Insulin Secretion; Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormones; Neoplasms; Serotonin; Skin; Skin Neoplasms; Syndrome

Topics: Collagen Diseases; Gastrins; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1; Neoplastic Syndromes, Hereditary; Pancreatic Neoplasms; Skin Neoplasms

To clarify the impact of the classic gastrin/CCK-B receptor on the growth of benign and malignant colonic cells, two permanent cell lines expressing this receptor have been established. The conditionally immortalized nonmalignant colonic cell line YAMC and the colonic carcinoma cell line SW 403 were stably transfected with a plasmid encoding the gastrin/CCK-B receptor (GR), or with plasmid alone (V). Expression of the gastrin/CCK-B receptor in the transfected YAMC-GR and SW 403-GR cells was demonstrated by gastrin binding experiments. The YAMC-GR cell line did not respond mitogenically to pentagastrin or gastrin(17) in vitro and was not tumorigenic. The SW 403-GR cell line was stimulated by gastrin(17) in vitro, but the growth patterns of SW 403-GR and SW 403-V were the same in nude mice with cells injected either subcutaneously or into the spleen. These results provide further evidence that the gastrin/CCK-B receptor is not responsible for gastrin-stimulated growth in colonic tumors.

Topics: Animals; Cell Division; Cell Line, Transformed; Colon; Gastrins; Humans; Mice; Mice, Nude; Mitogens; Neoplasm Transplantation; Pentagastrin; Receptors, Cholecystokinin; Skin Neoplasms; Splenic Neoplasms; Transfection; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Fifteen neuroendocrine carcinomas of the skin (Merkel cell tumors) were stained within the constraints of tissue availability by the Grimelius method and immunohistochemically for keratin, neuron-specific enolase (NSE), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), S-100, common leukocyte antigen (CLA), met-enkephalin, bombesin, calcitonin, ACTH, gastrin, and somatostatin. Focal argyrophilia was present in 5 of 12 tumors. All tumors tested demonstrated immunoreactivity for NSE and 5 tumors were positive for keratin. One tumors appeared to demonstrate focal ACTH-like immunoreactivity, but otherwise no immunoreactivity for the above mentioned polypeptide hormones was noted in 11 completely studied tumors. One tumor contained histologically obvious areas of squamous differentiation in addition to areas of Merkel cell tumor. In various tumors, keratin immunoreactivity was present either in areas of histologically obvious squamous differentiation, in randomly scattered single cells not histologically identifiable as squamous, or in a paranuclear dot-like distribution. Immunoreactivity for CEA, S-100 and CLA was not present in any tumors. The lack of met-enkephalin and the presence of squamous differentiation in these tumors indicates multidirectional differentiation in a fashion not phenotypically typical of Merkel cells.

Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; Bombesin; Calcitonin; Carcinoembryonic Antigen; Enkephalin, Methionine; Gastrins; Histocompatibility Antigens; Humans; Immunoenzyme Techniques; Keratins; Leukocyte Common Antigens; Phosphopyruvate Hydratase; Skin Neoplasms; Somatostatin

Topics: Aged; Animals; Biological Assay; Dogs; Female; Gastrins; Humans; Neoplasm Metastasis; Pancreatic Neoplasms; Skin Neoplasms; Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome

Topics: Animals; Cholinesterases; Cricetinae; Dihydroxyphenylalanine; Fluorescent Antibody Technique; Gastrins; Glycerolphosphate Dehydrogenase; Histocytochemistry; Humans; In Vitro Techniques; Melanins; Melanoma; Mice; Microscopy, Fluorescence; Nevus, Pigmented; Peptide Biosynthesis; Skin; Skin Neoplasms