Aberrant immunostaining pattern of the CD24 glycoprotein in clinical samples and experimental models of pediatric medulloblastomas

• The CD24 glycoprotein is a mediator of neuronal proliferation, differentiation and immune suppression in the normal CNS, and a proposed cancer biomarker in multiple peripheral tumor types. We performed a comparative analysis of CD24 gene expression in a large cohort of pediatric and adult brain tumors (n = 813), and further characterized protein expression in tissue sections (n = 39), primary brain tumor cultures (n = 12) and a novel orthotopic group 3 medulloblastoma xenograft model. Increased CD24 gene expression was demonstrated in ependymomas, medulloblastomas, anaplastic astrocytomas and glioblastomas, although medulloblastomas displayed higher expression than all other tumor entities. Preferential expression of CD24 in medulloblastomas was confirmed at protein level by immunostaining and computerized image analysis of cryosections. Morphologies and immunophenotyping of CD24(+) cells in tissue sections tentatively suggested disparate functions in different tumor subsets. Notably, protein staining of medulloblastoma cells was associated with prominent cytoplasmic and membranous granules, enabling rapid and robust identification of medulloblastoma cells in clinical tissue samples, as well as in experimental model systems. In conclusion, our results implicate CD24 as a clinically and experimentally useful medulloblastoma immunomarker. Although our results encourage further functional studies of CD24 as a potential molecular target in subsets of brain tumors, the promiscuous expression of CD24 in vivo highlights the importance of specificity in the future design of such targeted treatment.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Medicinska och farmaceutiska grundvetenskaper -- Cell- och molekylärbiologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Basic Medicine -- Cell and Molecular Biology (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Cancer och onkologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Cancer and Oncology (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Neurologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Neurology (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Kirurgi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Surgery (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Medicinsk bioteknologi -- Biomedicinsk laboratorievetenskap/teknologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Medical Biotechnology -- Biomedical Laboratory Science/Technology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

CD24

Glycoprotein

Pediatric brain tumor

Medulloblastoma immunomarker

Molecular target

INDEPENDENT PROGNOSTIC MARKER

POSTERIOR-FOSSA EPENDYMOMA

STEM-CELL

IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL EXPRESSION

PILOCYTIC ASTROCYTOMA

DISTINCT

SUBGROUPS

NEURITE OUTGROWTH

GENETIC PROFILES

IN-VIVO

BRAIN

Oncology

Clinical Neurology

Cancer

Oncology

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)