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Molecular characterization of desmosomes in meningiomas and arachnoidal tissue

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Abstract

Intercellular junctions morphologically identical to epithelial desmosomes are known structures in meningiomas and arachnoidal tissue. Desmoplakin as one of the desmosomal plaque components has proven to be a reliable marker for diagnosis of meningeal tumors. Here we demonstrate by immunofluorescence microscopy, immunoblot and reverse transcription-PCR reactions that cells of arachnoidal tissue, of diverse meningioma subtypes and of a meningioma-derived cell line contain the full complement of the typical desmosomal proteins desmoplakin (DP), plakophilin 2 (PP2), desmocollin 2 (Dsc2) and desmoglein 2 (Dsg2). Consequently, all these molecules are suitable for diagnostic applications of meningioma tumors. In addition to these constitutive desmosomal components, representative for single-layered (simple) epithelia, the dural border cells of the arachnoid and about 60% of the meningiomas tested were positive for desmocollin 3 (Dsc3), a protein in epithelia taken as an indicator for differentiation.

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge Prof. W.W. Franke's interest and support. We thank Dr. H. Spring for help with the confocal laser microscopy, Uta Haselmann, E. Noffz and R. Zimbelmann for expert technical assistance and A. Wohlfahrt for correcting the manuscript (all German Cancer Research Center).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Cell Biology, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany

    Kemal Akat, Christopher K. E. Bleck & Jürgen Kartenbeck

  2. Department of Neuropathology, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany

    Hans-Dieter Mennel

  3. Department of Neurosurgery, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

    Paul Kremer

  4. Institute of Pathology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

    Nikolaus Gassler

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  1. Kemal Akat
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  6. Jürgen Kartenbeck
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Correspondence to Jürgen Kartenbeck.

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Akat, K., Mennel, HD., Kremer, P. et al. Molecular characterization of desmosomes in meningiomas and arachnoidal tissue. Acta Neuropathol 106, 337–347 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00401-003-0736-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00401-003-0736-8

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