Distinct keratin patterns demonstrated by immunoperoxidase staining of adenocarcinomas, carcinoids, and mesotheliomas using polyclonal and monoclonal anti-keratin antibodies.

The authors assessed whether distinct patterns for keratin could be demonstrated in 10 adenocarcinomas, 10 carcinoids, and 4 mesotheliomas by an immunoperoxidase reaction using 3 polyclonal and 3 monoclonal antibodies to keratin. When color development in diaminobenzidine (DAB) was allowed to proceed for less than 2 minutes, distinct patterns for keratin could be demonstrated using two polyclonal and two monoclonal antibodies; these were plasma membrane and/or web-like in the adenocarcinomas, punctate or crescentic in the carcinoids, and perinuclear in the mesotheliomas consisting of tumor cells with abundant cytoplasm. Immunoelectron microscopy using protein A colloidal gold confirmed these results. When color development in DAB was allowed to proceed for more than 2 minutes, only diffuse staining was seen. The distinct patterns of immunostaining for keratin obtained with the shorter color development were helpful in differentiating adenocarcinomas, carcinoids, and mesotheliomas.