Elsevier

Pancreatology

Volume 6, Issue 4, August 2006, Pages 406-413
Pancreatology

Expression of Oct4, a Stem Cell Marker, in the Hamster Pancreatic Cancer Model

https://doi.org/10.1159/000094317Get rights and content

Abstract

Background: Oct4 has been shown to present a stem cell marker that is expressed in embryonic cells and in germ cell tumors. Recently, its expression in a few human tissues and cancer cells has been reported. Because in the hamster pancreatic cancer model most tumors develop from within islets presumably from stem cells, we investigated the expression of Oct4 in this model.Methods: Two normal pancreases and 15 pancreatic cancers induced by /V-nitrosobis(2-oxypropyl)amine (BOP) were processed for immunohistochemistry using a monoclonal Oct4 antibody at a concentration of 1:500.Results: In the normal pancreas, Oct4 was expressed only in islet cells in a diffuse cytoplasmic pattern. No nuclear staining was found in any cells. In 14 of the pancreatic cancers, nuclear staining was detected in many cells or in small foci. Diffuse cytoplasmic but no nuclear staining was found in one tumor and a mixed Golgi type and nuclear staining in two cases. Nuclear staining was also identified in early intrainsular ductular and in Ca in situ lesions. Conclusions: BOP reactivates the Oct4 gene and can be considered an early tumor marker in this model.

References (30)

  • MH Rosner et al.

    A POUdomain transcription factor in early stem cells and germ cells of the mammalian embryo

    Nature

    (1990)
  • C Hansis et al.

    Analysis of Oct-4 expression and ploidy in individual human blastomeres

    Mol Hum Reprod

    (2001)
  • C Hansis et al.

    Oct-4 expression in inner cell mass and trophectoderm of human blastocysts

    Mol Hum Reprod

    (2000)
  • L Cheng

    Establishing a germ cell origin for metastatic tumors using OCT4 immunohistochemistry

    Cancer

    (2004)
  • M onk et al.

    Human embryonic genes re-expressed in cancer cells

    Oncogene

    (2001)
  • Cited by (0)

    View full text