Acta histochemica
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We have used human specimens and antibodies to pERK1/2 to detect early development of colon cancer using indirect immunocytochemistry. Two distinct sites were stained; one at the tip of the colon crypts and the other in the stromal tissue associated with the colonic tissue. These foci represent early stages of colon cancer initiation sites as established by enhanced Kirsten Rat Sarcoma Virus (KRAS) and the lack of p53 staining. ⋯ We found that the tumors arising from the stroma demonstrated poor structural differentiation, while the tumors initiating from the epithelial cells of the colon demonstrated high structural differentiation. We conclude that pERK1/2 is a sensitive marker of early colon cancer, which disappears at later stages of cancer development. Moreover, pERK1/2 staining can distinguish between tumor cells originating from the tip of the colon crypts and those developing in the stroma, which is present in the close vicinity to colon epithelial tissue, and thus can assist in selecting the appropriate therapy.