Skip to main content

C-kit Expression in Germinoma: An Munohistochemistry-based Study

Journal of Neuro-Oncology volume 75, pages 163–167 (2005)Cite this article

Summary

In our immunohistochemical study of 25 human primary intracranial germinomas and germinomas with syncytiotrophoblastic giant cells (STGC), we stained the same sections for c-kit and placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP). Immunohistochemical expression was graded using a semi-quantitative scoring system where 3+ = 51–75%, and 4+ = 76–100%. Of the 25 cases, 7 (28%) were graded 3+ and 18 (72%) 4+ for c-kit; 8 (32%) were 3+ or 4+ for PLAP. All 3 cases negative for PLAP-staining were strongly positive and all embryonal carcinomas, immature teratomas, and yolk sac tumors were negative for c-kit staining. The soluble isoform of c-kit (s-kit) is reportedly detectable in cerebral spinal fluid of patients with germinomas and germinomas with STGC. C-kit and s-kit may be powerful tumor markers for germinomas with or without STGC.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

43,34 €

Price includes VAT (Finland)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

References

  1. J Kuratsu Y Ushio (1996) ArticleTitleEpidemiological study of primary intracranial tumors in childhood. A population-based survey in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan Pediatr Neurosurg 25 240–246 Occurrence Handle9309787

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. M: Matsutani (2001) ArticleTitleCombined chemotherapy and radiation therapy for CNS germ cell tumors – the Japanese experience J Neurooncol 54 311–316 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1012743707883 Occurrence Handle11767296

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. M Kochi Y Itoyama S Shiraishi et al. (2003) ArticleTitleSuccessful treatment of intracranial nongerminomatous malignant germ cell tumors by administering neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy before excision of residual tumors J Neurosurg 99 106–114 Occurrence Handle12854751

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. J Shinoda Y Miwa N Sakai et al. (1985) ArticleTitleImmunohistochemical study of placental alkaline phosphatase in primary intracranial germ-cell tumors J Neurosurg 63 733–739 Occurrence Handle4056875

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Y Yarden WJ Kuang T Yang-Feng et al. (1987) ArticleTitleHuman proto-oncogene c-kit: a new cell surface receptor tyrosine kinase for an unidentified ligand EMBO J 6 3341–3351 Occurrence Handle2448137

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Y Matsui D Toksoz S Nishikawa et al. (1991) ArticleTitleEffect of steal factor and leukaemia inhibitory factor on murine primordial germ cells in culture Nature 353 750–752 Occurrence Handle10.1038/353750a0 Occurrence Handle1719421

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. AI Packer P Besmer RF Bachvarova (1995) ArticleTitleKit ligand mediates survival of type A spermatogonia and dividing spermatocytes in postnatal mouse testes Mol Reprod Dev 42 303–310 Occurrence Handle10.1002/mrd.1080420307 Occurrence Handle8579844

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. M Pesce MG Farrace M Piacentini et al. (1993) ArticleTitleStem cell factor and leukemia inhibitory factor promote primordial germ cell survival by suppressing programmed cell death (apoptosis) Development 118 1089–1094 Occurrence Handle7505738

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Q Tian HF Frierson SuffixJr. GW Krystal et al. (1999) ArticleTitleActivating c-kit gene mutations in human germ cell tumors Am J Pathol 154 1643–1647 Occurrence Handle10362788

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. K Kemmer CL Corless JA Fletcher et al. (2004) ArticleTitleKIT mutations are common in testicular seminomas Am J Pathol 164 305–313 Occurrence Handle14695343

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. A Beghini MG Tibiletti G Roversi et al. (2001) ArticleTitleGermline mutation in the juxtamembrane domain of the kit gene in a family with gastrointestinal stromal tumors and urticaria pigmentosa Cancer 92 657–662 Occurrence Handle10.1002/1097-0142(20010801)92:3<657::AID-CNCR1367>3.0.CO;2-D Occurrence Handle11505412

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. LH Looijenga H Leeuw Particlede M Oorschot Particlevan et al. (2003) ArticleTitleStem cell factor receptor (c-KIT) codon 816 mutations predict development of bilateral testicular germ-cell tumors Cancer Res 63 7674–7678 Occurrence Handle14633689

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. E Wardelmann I Losen V Hans et al. (2003) ArticleTitleDeletion of Trp-557 and Lys-558 in the juxtamembrane domain of the c-kit protooncogene is associated with metastatic behavior of gastrointestinal stromal tumors Int J Cancer 106 887–895 Occurrence Handle10.1002/ijc.11323 Occurrence Handle12918066

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. O Miyanohara H Takeshima M Kaji et al. (2002) ArticleTitleDiagnostic significance of soluble c-kit in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with germ cell tumors J Neurosurg 97 177–83 Occurrence Handle12134909

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. H Takeshima J: Kuratsu (2003) ArticleTitleA review of soluble c-kit (s-kit) as a novel tumor marker and possible molecular target for the treatment of CNS germinoma Surg Neurol 60 321–324 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0090-3019(03)00430-0 Occurrence Handle14505850

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. H Serve YC Hsu P: Besmer (1994) ArticleTitleTyrosine residue 719 of the c-kit receptor is essential for binding of the P85 subunit of phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase and for c-kit-associated PI 3-kinase activity in COS-1 cells J Biol Chem 269 6026–6030 Occurrence Handle7509796

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. T Yi JN: Ihle (1993) ArticleTitleAssociation of hematopoietic cell phosphatase with c-kit after stimulation with c-kit ligand Mol Cell Biol 13 3350–3358 Occurrence Handle7684496

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. T Tauchi GS Feng MS Marshall et al. (1994) ArticleTitleThe ubiquitously expressed Syp phosphatase interacts with c-kit and Grb2 in hematopoietic cells J Biol Chem 269 25206–11 Occurrence Handle7523381

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. M Tsai RH Chen SY Tam et al. (1993) ArticleTitleActivation of MAP kinases, pp90rsk and pp70-S6 kinases in mouse mast cells by signaling through the c-kit receptor tyrosine kinase or Fc epsilon RI: rapamycin inhibits activation of pp70-S6 kinase and proliferation in mouse mast cells Eur J Immunol 23 3286–3291 Occurrence Handle7504992

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. MS Shearman R Herbst J Schlessinger et al. (1993) ArticleTitlePhosphatidylinositol 3′-kinase associates with p145c-kit as part of a cell type characteristic multimeric signalling complex EMBO J 12 3817–3826 Occurrence Handle7691598

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. E Wandzioch CE Edling RH Palmer et al. (2004) ArticleTitleActivation of the MAP kinase pathway by c-kit is PI-3 kinase dependent in hematopoietic progenitor/stem cell lines Blood 104 51–57 Occurrence Handle10.1182/blood-2003-07-2554 Occurrence Handle14996702

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kumamoto University, 1-1-1 Honjo, 860-8556 , Kumamoto, Japan

    Hideo Nakamura, Keishi Makino & Jun-ichi Kuratsu

  2. Department of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan

    Hideo Takeshima

Authors
  1. Hideo Nakamura
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Hideo Takeshima
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Keishi Makino
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jun-ichi Kuratsu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hideo Nakamura.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Nakamura, H., Takeshima, H., Makino, K. et al. C-kit Expression in Germinoma: An Munohistochemistry-based Study. J Neurooncol 75, 163–167 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11060-005-1593-1

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11060-005-1593-1

Keywords

  • c-kit
  • germinoma
  • immunohistochemistry
  • PLAP
  • tumor marker