This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Ambrosio, V. Articles by Roperto, F. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Ambrosio, V. Articles by Roperto, F. Social Bookmarking                            What's this?

Uroplakin Expression in the Urothelial Tumors of Cows

Department of Pathology and Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Naples University Federico II, Naples, Italy (VA, GB, PG, FR); and Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Southern Italy, Portici, Naples, Italy (FB)

Expression of uroplakins (UPs) was investigated in 20 bladder tumors from cows that had been suffering from chronic enzootic hematuria for several years. In dysplastic urothelium and papillomatous proliferations, UP expression was evident both as luminal and intercellular staining. UPs appeared to clearly define the plasma membrane of luminal cells and the borders of cells placed in deeper layers, whether or not these intermediate cells were adjacent to superficial ones. Occasionally, some intermediate cells showed a remarkable cytoplasmic immunoreactivity. The pattern of UPs in grade I tumors was characterized by an evident discontinuity of luminal staining and by the presence of numerous intermediate cells showing a diffuse intracytoplasmic positivity for UPs. In grade II tumors, there was a decrease of luminal and intermediate cells showing UP expression and an apparent increase of clusters of intermediate cells with intracytoplasmic reactivity for UPs. In grade III tumors, immunoreactivity was heterogeneously distributed and a severe loss of UP-positive luminal and intermediate cells could be seen. Focally, superficial and deeper cells showed strong membraneous immunoreactivity that marked and delimited single cells, with complete circumferential peripheral staining clearly evident. UP expression in bladder tumors of cows reported in this study is similar to the UP pattern of some urothelial tumors in humans. Although UP expression is remarkably changed in bladder carcinogenesis of cattle, the UP gene(s) remains expressed during cell transformation and tumor progression.

Key words: Bracken fern; cattle; urinary bladder; uroplakins; urothelial tumors.

Request reprints from Prof. F. Roperto, Department of Pathology and Animal Health, Division of General Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Via Delpino 1, 80137 Naples (Italy). E-mail: roperto{at}unina.it.

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Facebook    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				T. Carvalho, D. Naydan, T. Nunes, C. Pinto, and M. C. Peleteiro Immunohistochemical Evaluation of Vascular Urinary Bladder Tumors from Cows with Enzootic Hematuria Vet. Pathol., March 1, 2009; 46(2): 211 - 221. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Roperto, V. Ambrosio, G. Borzacchiello, P. Galati, O. Paciello, V. Russo, and F. Roperto Bovine Papillomavirus Type-2 (BPV-2) Infection and Expression of Uroplakin IIIb, a Novel Urothelial Cell Marker, in Urinary Bladder Tumors of Cows Vet. Pathol., November 1, 2005; 42(6): 812 - 818. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. A. Ramos-Vara, M. A. Miller, M. Boucher, A. Roudabush, and G. C. Johnson Immunohistochemical Detection of Uroplakin III, Cytokeratin 7, and Cytokeratin 20 in Canine Urothelial Tumors Vet. Pathol., January 1, 2003; 40(1): 55 - 62. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]