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Expression of tubulin beta II in neuroepithelial tumors: reflection of architectural changes in the developing human brain

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Abstract

Tubulin beta II (Tub-II) is widely distributed in the developing neuronal axons and dendrites. Recent studies have demonstrated that Tub-II is also important in the early development of the human brain, and Tub-II represents a marker for progenitor and neural stem cells. To elucidate the correlation between the developing brain and neuroepithelial tumors (NETs), the present study assessed Tub-II expression by NETs and normal brain tissue using immunohistochemical and immunoblot analyses. In the gliomas, decreased numbers and staining intensities of Tub-II-positive cells tended to be associated with increased differentiation. Conversely, neuronal neoplasms displayed high percentages and strong staining intensities among the Tub-II-positive cells, irrespective of differentiation. In neuronal neoplasms and neoplasms with neuronal differentiation, Tub-II staining was far more intense and more homogeneous than Tub-II staining in gliomas. These results indicate that the expression of Tub-II in NETs may reflect architectural changes in the developing brain and may support the hypothesis that neuroepithelial tumors originate from glioneuronal progenitor cells capable of generating astrocytic, and neuronal cell types.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology and Biodefense, Saga Medical School, Nabeshima 5-1-1, 849-8501, Saga, Japan

    Yasuo Sugita & Osamu Tokunaga

  2. Department of Pathology, St. Mary’s Hospital, Kurume, Japan

    Yasuhiro Nakamura

  3. Departments of Chemistry and Neurosurgery, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Japan

    Munehiko Yamamoto, Eriko Oda & Minoru Shigemori

Authors
  1. Yasuo Sugita
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  2. Yasuhiro Nakamura
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  3. Munehiko Yamamoto
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  4. Eriko Oda
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  5. Osamu Tokunaga
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  6. Minoru Shigemori
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Correspondence to Yasuo Sugita.

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Sugita, Y., Nakamura, Y., Yamamoto, M. et al. Expression of tubulin beta II in neuroepithelial tumors: reflection of architectural changes in the developing human brain. Acta Neuropathol 110, 127–134 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00401-005-1022-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00401-005-1022-8

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