This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Betz, C. Articles by Müller-Hermelink, H. K. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Betz, C. Articles by Müller-Hermelink, H. K.

Surfactant Protein Gene Expression in Metastatic and Micrometastatic Pulmonary Adenocarcinomas and Other Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinomas: Detection by Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction¹

Institute of Pathology and Department of Thoracic Surgery, Julius Maximilians University, Josef-Schneider Strasse 2, 97080 Würzburg, Federal Republic of Germany

Reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR with primers specific for surfactant protein A (SP-A), B (SP-B), C (SP-C), and D (SP-D) genes was applied to detect metastatic non-small cell lung carcinomas. Forty-one paratracheal and subcarinal lymph nodes obtained from 41 patients with non-small cell lung carcinomas, 11 lymph nodes from 11 patients with extrapulmonary adenocarcinomas, and eight control lymph nodes from patients without cancer were analyzed using RT-PCR. PCR products corresponding to SP-B gene products were found in all eight control lymph nodes, offering evidence of SP-B gene expression in cells of lymphatic tissue. SP-A, SP-C, and/or SP-D transcripts were detected in 11 (84.6%) of 13 lymph nodes with histologically identifiable metastases of pulmonary adenocarcinomas and in 10 (55.5%) of 18 lymph nodes that were tumor free on routine histological examination. These findings provide evidence of micrometastatic nodal involvement which remains undetectable by conventional light microsopy but can be evaluated by surfactant RT-PCR. Gene expression of SP-A and SP-C was restricted to metastatic pulmonary adenocarcinomas but SP-D gene activity has been also detected in two of four metastases of pulmonary large cell carcinomas, one adenosquamous carcinoma, and nine extrapulmonary adenocarcinomas as well.

¹ This work was supported by a grant from the Dr. Mildred Scheel Stiftung/Deutsche Krebshilfe (Bonn, Germany).

² To whom requests for reprints should be addressed.

Received 6/14/95. Accepted 6/18/95.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. M. Serra, A. Gutierrez, R. Alemany, M. Navarro, T. Ros, C. Saus, J. Gines, A. Sampol, J. C. Amat, L. Serra-Moises, et al. Inhibition of c-Myc Down-Regulation by Sustained Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase Activation Prevents the Antimetabolite Methotrexate- and Gemcitabine-Induced Differentiation in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Cells Mol. Pharmacol., June 1, 2008; 73(6): 1679 - 1687. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. Xi, M. C. Coello, V. R. Litle, S. Raja, W. E. Gooding, S. A. Yousem, T. El-Hefnawy, R. J. Landreneau, J. D. Luketich, and T. E. Godfrey A Combination of Molecular Markers Accurately Detects Lymph Node Metastasis in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients Clin. Cancer Res., April 15, 2006; 12(8): 2484 - 2491. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. Jiang, N. P. Caraway, B. Nebiyou Bekele, H.-Z. Zhang, A. Khanna, H. Wang, R. Li, R. L. Fernandez, T. M. Zaidi, D. A. Johnston, et al. Surfactant Protein A Gene Deletion and Prognostics for Patients with Stage I Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Clin. Cancer Res., August 1, 2005; 11(15): 5417 - 5424. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. Zhang, W. Pao, S. M. Umphress, S. B. Jakowlew, A. M. Meyer, L. D. Dwyer-Nield, L. D. Nielsen, K. Takeda, E. W. Gelfand, J. H. Fisher, et al. Serum Levels of Surfactant Protein D Are Increased in Mice with Lung Tumors Cancer Res., September 15, 2003; 63(18): 5889 - 5894. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				X. Jiao and M. J. Krasna Clinical significance of micrometastasis in lung and esophageal cancer: a new paradigm in thoracic oncology Ann. Thorac. Surg., July 1, 2002; 74(1): 278 - 284. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. G. Brinker, E. Martin, P. Borron, E. Mostaghel, C. Doyle, C. V. Harding, and J. R. Wright Surfactant protein D enhances bacterial antigen presentation by bone marrow-derived dendritic cells Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol, December 1, 2001; 281(6): L1453 - L1463. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. J. Mason, M. Kalina, L. D. Nielsen, A. M. Malkinson, and J. M. Shannon Surfactant Protein C Expression in Urethane-Induced Murine Pulmonary Tumors Am. J. Pathol., January 1, 2000; 156(1): 175 - 182. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Maruyama, K. Sugio, T. Mitsudomi, G. Saitoh, T. Ishida, and K. Sugimachi RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EARLY RECURRENCE AND MICROMETASTASES IN THE LYMPH NODES OF PATIENTS WITH STAGE I NON-SMALL-CELL LUNG CANCER J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg., October 1, 1997; 114(4): 535 - 543. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				K. Dobashi, K. Sugio, T. Osaki, T. Oka, and K. Yasumoto MICROMETASTATIC P53-POSITIVE CELLS IN THE LYMPH NODES OF NON-SMALL-CELL LUNG CANCER: PROGNOSTIC SIGNIFICANCE J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg., September 1, 1997; 114(3): 339 - 346. [Abstract] [Full Text]