Summary
Combined light microscopic and electron microscopic analyses on 5′-nucleotidase activity were facilitated by means of a modified histochemical technique. Variations in enzyme activity during the development of oral squamous cell carcinomas in the rat were studied. The moderate level of 5′-nucleotidase activity in the basal cells of the normal epithelium increased both in distribution and intensity in the presence of hyperplasia. Preinvasive and invasive carcinomas were characterized by a total loss of hydrolytic activity. The enzyme reaction products in normal and hyperplastic epithelium were localized on the cell surfaces. The ultrastructural studies confirmed the absence of visible enzyme reactions in preivasive and invasive carcinomas. Areas with early loss of 5′-nucleotidase activity corresponded to those with increased glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity. Histologically, these regions usually showed severe dysplasia.
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Supported by Swedish Cancer Society Grants nos. 618-B72-01X and 618-B73-02X.
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Magnusson, B.C., Heyden, G. & Svensson, S.E. Histochemical observations on 5′-nucleotidase activity in squamous cell carcinomas of the rat. Histochemistry 42, 1–8 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00498475
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00498475