The morphologic display of testicular cancer is a heterogenous cellular pattern. A biological heterogeneity is also true for the expression of tumor markers. The biosynthesis of tumor marker proteins α-fetoprotein (AFP), ferritin, Schwangerschaftsprotein (SP 1) glycoprotein, tissue polypeptide antigen and of hormones (β-human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) = significantly present in nonseminoma germ cell tumors – does, however, define only a small number of cancer cells. To better visualize the majority of cancer cells, lectin binding was studied. During the oncogenic transformation a distinct change of cell membrane glycoproteins has been observed. Reactions of WGA/PNA lectins which get attached to glycoproteins with cancer tissue sample from seminomas (n = 20) and nonseminomas (n = 20) were analyzed. The results were correlated to AFP/β-HCG positive (negative) immunohistology to establish further subgroups of biological homogeneity. The binding of WGA lectin appears relatively more frequent in both seminoma and nonseminoma than that of PNA. Lectin binding of WGA and/or PNA can be stained in 3/11 AFP- and β-HCG-negative nonseminoma tissues while lectin staining is positive in 7/18 β-HCG-negative seminomas. The fact that lectin binding is dependent on the spermatozoogenesis and on androgens in normal testis tissues asks for more detailed studies in this field.

Keywords:
Lectin binding, Wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), Peanut agglutinin (PNA), AFP = α-Fetoprotein, Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), Immunohistology, Heterogeneity of testis tumors
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© 1987 S. Karger AG, Basel
1987
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