The value of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)/cyclin in the assessment of cell proliferation in glomerulonephritis
L. Nakopoulou1, K. Stefanaki1, K. Salpigidis2, J. Boletis2, J. Papadakis3, P.M. Zeiss4 and Gr. Vosnides2
1Department of Pathology, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, 2Department of Nephrology and Renal Transplantation, Laiko General Hospital, Athens, 3Department of Nephrology, NIMTS General Hospital, Athens and 4Deparment of 2nd Pediatrics, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece
Offprint requests to: Dr. Lydia Nakoupoulou, Department of Pathology, Medical School, Athens University, 75 M. Asias Str., GR-1 1527 Goudi- Greece
Summary. Proli fe rating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)/ cycli n is an acidic nuclear protein increasing from the late G 1 to S phases of the cell cycle and whose detection para lle ls ot her s tandard me thods for assessi ng ce ll proli fe ration. The aim of thi s study was to investigate PCNA ex press ion in no rm al a nd d iseased hum an kidneys, in order to clarify cell pro lifera tion in renal ti ss ue and to defin e a poss ibl e co rr e lat ion of its ex pression with va rious types of glomerul one phri tis (GN). The immunohistochemical avidin-biotin complex (ABC) method was used for the demonstration of PCNA applying the monoclonal antibody PC-10 to pa raffin sections from: 10 normal kidneys, 55 renal biopsies with var io us types of pro li fe ra tive GN (PGN), 44 renal biops ies with va rious types of non pro lifera tive GN (NPGN). In PCNA-positive renal biopsies with GN the ant igen showed a heterogeneous nuclear expression in occasional or few mesangial and glomerul ar epi thelial cells as well as in a greater number of tubular epithelial cells. PCNA was expressed in 20% of normal kidneys and in 38% of renal biopsies with GN. The frequency of PCNA ex pression was s igni f ica ntly inc reased in the cases of PGN (47%) compared to th at observed in the cases of NPGN (27%) (p=0.03). PCNA was detected in 10/24 cases of IgA nephropath y, in 3/4 cases of IgM nephropathy, in 5/14 of other types of primary PGN and in 8/13 of secondary PGN. PCNA expression was not correlated with the degree of mesangial cellularity in PGN. Moreover, there was no significant diffe rence in PCNA ex pression between primary and secondary PGN. PCNA demo ns tra ted an int e nse ex press ion in the majority of epithelial cells form ing cellular crescents in 8/11 cases of PGN. In conclusion, PCNA was observed more frequently in di seased th an in normal kidneys. The s igni ficant in c rease in the freque ncy of PCNA intraglome rul ar Offprint requests to: Dr. Lydia Nakoupoulou, Department of Pathology, Medical School, Athens University, 75 M. Asias Str., GR·1 1527 Goudi· Greece ex pression in PGN suggests that PCNA has a certain va lue in the assessme nt of mesa ng ial pro li fe ration. Moreover, the increased PCNA expression in tubular e pi the li a l cells es pecia lly in PGN, indi ca tes th e ir pro li fe ra tive s tate and may be corre lated wi th th eir proposed activation and role in the progression of renal injury. Histol Histopathol 12, 655-662 (1997)
Key words: Prolife rating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA),
Glomerulonephritis, Cell proliferation
DOI: 10.14670/HH-12.655