Published in Cancer Detection and Prevention 1996; 20(5).

Application of trichosanthes japonica agglutinin i (TJA-i) for diagnosis of colon cancer: lectin histochemistry of primary colon cancer and liver metastases

T Sakiyama¹, K Yamashita³, H Nishimata¹, T Arima¹, F Murata²

The increased activity of Galbetal-4GlcNAc:alpha2,6-sialyltransferase in colon cancer tissue, particularly in liver metastases, has been demonstrated. Trichosanthes japonica agglutinin I (TJA-I) is a lectin highly specific for the NeuAcalpha2,6Galbeta1,4GlcNAc residue. AIM: To evaluate the usefulness of the TJA-I in the diagnosis of colon cancer and to investigate the expression of the NeuAcalpha2,6Gal residue in liver metastases. METHODS: Lectin histochemistry was used to examine the expression of glycoconjugates containing the NeuAcalpha2,6Gal residue as visualized with TJA-I in 80 primary colon adenocarcinomas, 6 liver metastases, 20 adenomas and 20 normal mucosae. RESULTS: In the normal mucosa, no staining with TJA-I could be detected. Likewise, none of the adenomas was positive for TJA-I staining. However, 70% of primary adenocarcinomas were reactive with TJA-I. All liver metastases and matched primary tumors were stained by TJA-I. Metastases demonstrated homogeneous TJA-I reaction among cell populations while primary tumors were heterogeneous. CONCLUSIONS: Since TJA-I staining showed specificity to the cancer cells, TJA-I might be a useful tool to make a differential diagnosis of adenocarcinoma versus adenoma. A higher proportion of cancer cells in metastases shows TJA-I binding than in primary tumors suggests that the expression of the NeuAcalpha2, 6Gal residue may be associated with cancer cell progression to the metastatic phenotype.

KEY WORDS: colon cancer, lectin histochemistry.

Paper presented at the International Symposium on the Impact of Cancer Biotechnology on Diagnostic and Prognostic Indicators; Nice, France; October 26 - 28, 1996; in the section on Colorectal.

http://www.cancerprev.org/Journal/Issues/20/5/204/881