Fetal and pediatric pathology
-
Fetal Pediatr Pathol · Jan 2008
Assessment of muscarinic and nicotinic acetylcholine receptor expression in primitive neuroectodermal tumor/ewing family of tumor and desmoplastic small round cell tumor: an immunohistochemical and Western blot study of tissue microarray and cell lines.
The primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET)/Ewing family of tumors (EFT) and desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) portend a grave prognosis. Ongoing research in similar neurocrest-derived neoplasms has implicated both the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) and nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) in the pathogenesis of these neoplasms. Acetylcholine has been reported to impart a modulatory effect on chemotaxis and proliferation, an effect ameliorated by anticholinergic drugs. ⋯ We found that AChRs are overexpressed in a significant number of PNET/EFT and DSRCT. The Western blot analysis of 3 human Ewing sarcoma cell lines confirms the presence of AChRs. Future studies are planned to confirm these results as well as to investigate their potential therapeutic implications.