[Immunohistochemical localization of fibronectin, laminin and fibronectin-receptor in human malignant gliomas--in relation to tumor invasion].

In order to examine a role of extracellular matrix (ECM) components in the process of glioma cell invasion, we investigated the immunohistochemical localization of fibronectin (FN), laminin(LN) and FN-receptor (FN-R) in human malignant gliomas. The surgical specimens were obtained from 15 patients with malignant gliomas. Tumor tissue and adjacent brain tissue including tumor infiltration were frozen at -80 degree C immediately after the resection. Ten microns thick frozen tissue was cut out on a cryostat and divided into three different parts on the histology stained with HE, ie, the tumor region(T), brain tissues with tumor infiltration(I), and the border region between these two parts(B). These sections were air-dried, and fixed with cold acetone (-4 degrees C) for 5min. Adjacent sections were immunohistochemically stained by ABC method, using monoclonal antibody for FN-R and polyclonal antibodies for FN and LN. FN, LN and FN-R were all stained at the vascular and pial-glial basement membranes intensely in all gliomas. In immunostain for FN, fine networks of FN were observed in the extracellular space in all three parts. Some tumor cells were clustered around such networks of FN in brain tissues with tumor infiltration. Immunostain for LN demonstrated that the vascularity in the border between the tumor and the brain with tumor infiltration was much higher than that in other parts. LN was not stained in the extracellular space in all these gliomas. FN-R was expressed in some tumor cells, especially in the clustered tumor cells in the brain with tumor infiltration.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)