Summary
The degree and range of differentiation of the cells referred to as myoepithelial-like in pleomorphic adenomas and the tumour cells of myoepitheliomas are not definitely established. This type of information is critical for establishing reliable diagnostic criteria, such as expression of muscle-specific actin and ultrastructural identification of myofilaments, in these and other salivary gland tumours. Pleomorphic adenomas (18) and myoepitheliomas (5), of which 10 cases were fixed only in formalin and 13 cases where tissues were fixed in both formalin and methanol/acetic acid, were studied. Each tumour and normal accompanying parotid was immunostained with two monoclonal antibodies for smooth muscle actin, HHF35 and MSA. Staining of myoepithelial cells was absent in certain samples of normal gland with both HHF35 (15%) and MSA (69%) when formalin-fixed tissue was used. Using formalin-fixed tissue from 15 pleomorphic adenomas/myoepitheliomas, 2 (14%) had focal positivity with HHF35, while 8 cases (57%) were positive with MSA. However, a certain degree of false positivity was suspected since in samples of normal parotid, both acinar and duct cells were frequently stained, particularly with MSA. With methanol/ acetic acid-fixed tissue only 4 of 13 cases (31%) were positive with either MSA or HHF35 and 2 of these only had a minor proportion of the tumour cells expressing muscle-specific actin. Using alcohol-fixed tissue, myoepithelial cells were strongly stained in all examples of normal parotid gland with both anti-actin antibodies. In 5 cases examined by electron microscopy, there was no apparent correlation between immunohistochemical results and the presence or absence of cytoplasmic filament accumulation. The results indicate considerable tumour cell heterogeneity in muscle-specific actin expression and suggest that non-luminal cells in pleomorphic adenomas and the tumour cells in myoepitheliomas may differentiate as classical myoepithelial cells, as partially differentiated (i.e. modified myoepithelial cells) or as the counterpart of basal cells present in the intra- and interlobular ducts of normal salivary gland.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Achstätter T, Moll R, Anderson A, Kuhn C, Pitz S, Schwechheimer K, Franke WW (1986) Expression of glial filament protein (GFP) in nerve sheaths and non-neural cells re-examined using monoclonal antibodies, with special emphasis on the co-expression of GFP and cytokeratins in epithelial cells of human salivary gland and pleomorphic adenomas. Differentiation 31:206–227
Anderson C, Knibbs DR, Abbott SJ, Pedersen C, Krutchkoff D (1990) Glial fibrillary acidic protein expression in pleomorphic adenoma of salivary gland: an immunoelectron microscopic study. Ultrastruct Pathol 14:263–271
Batsakis JG, Kraemer B, Sciubba J (1983) The pathology of head and neck tumors: the myoepithelial cell and its participation in salivary gland neoplasia, part 17. Head Neck Surg 5:222–233
Born LA, Schwechheimer K, Maier H, Otto HF (1987) Cytokeratin expression in normal salivary glands and in cystadenolymphomas demonstrated by monoclonal antibodies directed against selected cytokeratin polypeptides. Virchows Arch [A] 411:583–589
Burns BF, Dardick I, Parks WR (1988) Intermediate filament expression in normal parotid glands and pleomorphic adenomas. Virchows Arch [A] 403:103–112
Chaudhry AP, Satchidanand S, Peer R, Cutler LS (1982) Myoepithelial cell adenoma of the parotid gland: a light and ultrastructural study. Cancer 49:288–293
Dardick I, van Nostrand AWP (1985) Myoepithelial cells in salivary gland tumors — revisited. Head Neck Surg 7:395–408
Dardick I, van Nostrand AWP (1987) Morphogenesis of salivary gland tumors: a prerequisite to improving classification. Pathol Annu 22:1–53
Dardick I, Rippstein P, Skimming L, Boivin M, Dairkee SH (1987) Immunohistochemistry and ultrastructure of myoepithelium and modified myoepithelium of the ducts of human major salivary glands: histogenetic implications for salivary gland tumors. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol 64:703–715
Dardick I, Cavell S, Boivin M, Hoppe D, Parks WR, Stinson J, Yamada S, Burns BF (1988 a) Salivary gland myoepithelioma variants: histological, ultrastructural, and immunocytological features. Virchows Arch [A] 416:25–42
Dardick I, Parks WR, Little J, Brown DL (1988 b) Characterization of cytoskeletal proteins in basal cells of human parotid salivary gland ducts. Virchows Arch [A] 412:525–532
Dardick I, Thomas MJ, Nostrand AWP van (1989) Myoepithelioma — new concepts of histology and classification: a light and electron microscopic study. Ultrastruct Pathol 13:187–224
Draeger A, Nathrath WBJ, Lane EB, Sundström BE, Stigbrand TI (1990) Cytokeratins, smooth muscle actin and vimentin in human normal salivary gland and pleomorphic adenomas. APMIS 99:405–415
Eng LF (1980) The glial fibrillary acidic (GFA) proteins of the nervous system. In: Bradshaw RA, Schneider DM (eds) Proteins of the nervous system, 2nd edn. Raven Press, New York, pp 85–117
Erlandson RA, Cordon-Cardo C, Higgins PJ (1984) Histogenesis of benign pleomorphic adenoma (mixed tumor) of the major salivary glands: an ultrastructural and immunohistochemical study. Am J Surg Pathol 8:803–820
Gown AM, Vogel AM, Gorson D, Lu PL (1985) A smooth musclespecific monoclonal antibody recognizes smooth muscle actin isozymes. J Cell Biol 100:807–813
Gugliotta P, Sapino A, Macri L, Skalli O, Gabbiani G, Bussolati G (1988) Specific demonstration of myoepithelial cells by antialpha smooth muscle actin antibody. J Histochem Cytochem 36:659–663
Gustafsson H, Virtanen I, Thornell L-E (1989) Glial fibrillary acidic protein and desmin in salivary gland neoplasms: expression of four different types of intermediate filament proteins within the same cell type. Virchows Arch [B] 57:303–313
Hirano T, Gluckman JL, de Vries EJ (1990) The expression of α vascular smooth-muscle actin in salivary gland tumors. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 116:692–696
Kahn HJ, Baumal R, Marks A, Dardick I, Nostrand AWP van (1985) Myoepithelial cells in salivary gland tumors: an immunohistochemical study. Arch Pathol Lab Med 109:190–195
Leoncini P, Cintorino M, Vindigni C, Leoncini L, Armellini D, Bugnoli M, Skalli O, Gabbiani G (1988) Distribution of cytoskeletal and contractile proteins in normal and tumor bearing salivary and lacrimal glands. Virchows Arch [A] 412:329–337
Mackay B, Ordóñez NG, Batsakis JG, Goepfert H (1988) Pleomorphic adenoma of parotid with myoepithelial cell predominance. Ultrastruct Pathol 12:461–468
Mori M, Tsukitani K, Ninomiya T, Okada Y (1987) Various expressions of modified myoepithelial cells in salivary pleomorphic adenoma: immunohistochemical studies. Pathol Res Pract 182:632–646
Mori M, Ninomiya T, Okada Y, Tsukitani K (1989) Myoepitheliomas and myoepithelial adenomas of salivary gland origin. Immunohistochemical evaluation of filament proteins, S-100a and b, glial fibrillary acidic proteins, neuron-specific enolase, and lactoferrin. Pathol Res Pract 184:168–178
Morinaga S, Nakajima T, Shimosato Y (1987) Normal and neoplastic myoepithelial cells in salivary glands: an immunohistochemical study. Hum Pathol 18:1218–1226
Ogawa I, Nikai H, Takata T, Miyauchi M, Ito H, Ijuhin N (1990) The cellular composition of basal cell adenoma of the parotid gland: an immunohistochemical analysis. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol 70:619–626
Palmer RM, Lucas RB, Knight J, Gusterson B (1985) Immunocytochemical identification of cell types in pleomorphic adenoma, with particular reference to myoepithelial cells. J Pathol 146:213–220
Srigley JR, Dardick I, Hartwick RWJ, Klotz L (1990) Basal epithelial cells of human prostate gland are not myoepithelial cells: a comparative immunohistochemical and ultrastructural study with human salivary gland. Am J Pathol 136:957–966
Stead RH, Qizilbash AH, Kontozoglou T, Daya D, Riddell RH (1988) An immunohistochemical study of pleomorphic adenomas of the salivary gland: glial fibrillary acidic protein-like immunoreactivity identifies a major myoepithelial component. Hum Pathol 19:32–40
Tsukada T, Tippens D, Gordon D, Ross R, Gown AM (1987a) HHF35, a muscle actin-specific monoclonal antibody. I. Immunocytochemical and biochemical characterization. Am J Pathol 126:51–60
Tsukada T, McNutt MA, Ross R, Gown AM (1987 b) HHF35, a muscle actin-specific monoclonal antibody. II. Reactivity in normal reactive, and neoplastic human tissues. Am J Pathol 127:389–402.
Yamada K, Shinohara H, Takia Y, Mori M (1988) Monoclonal antibody-detected vimentin distribution in pleomorphic adenomas of salivary glands. J Oral Pathol 17:348–353
Zarbo RJ, Bacchi CE, Gown AM (1991) Muscle-specific protein expression in normal salivary glands and pleomorphic adenomas: an immunocytochemical study with biochemical confirmation. Mod Pathol 4:621–626
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Dardick, I., Ostrynski, V.L., Ekem, J.K. et al. Immunohistochemical and ultrastructural correlates of muscle-actin expression in pleomorphic adenomas and myoepitheliomas based on comparison of formalin and methanol fixation. Vichows Archiv A Pathol Anat 421, 95–104 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01607041
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01607041