Abstract.
Retinoid bioavailability is regulated by the activity of specific cytoplasmic receptors. High levels of cellular retinol binding protein-1 (CRBP-1) have been documented during experimental arterial and wound-healing processes, but data concerning neoplastic smooth muscle tissues are scarce and/or controversial. This study reports that the expression of CRBP-1 is markedly higher in uterine and gastrointestinal leiomyosarcomas than in leiomyomas and normal myometrium; CRBP-1 was practically absent in normal gastrointestinal smooth muscle tissue. CRBP-1 positivity was particularly elevated in the epithelioid variant of leiomyosarcoma; it was associated with increased proliferative and apoptotic rates and inversely related to smooth muscle differentiation evaluated by α- and γ-smooth muscle actin and desmin expression. Western blotting and reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction confirmed the observations concerning CRBP-1 and actin isoform expression and revealed higher NF-κ-Bp65 and RARα and lower Bax protein levels in leiomyosarcoma than in the other conditions. These findings document that a high CRBP-1 expression is associated with smooth muscle malignancy and suggest that CRBP-1 expression represents a new useful marker for the classification of unusual variants of smooth muscle tumors.
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Orlandi, A., Francesconi, A., Clément, S. et al. High levels of cellular retinol binding protein-1 expression in leiomyosarcoma: possible implications for diagnostic evaluation. Virchows Arch 441, 31–40 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-001-0576-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-001-0576-7