Galanin and galanin receptor expression in neuroblastic tumours: Correlation with their differentiation status
Br J Cancer. 2002-01-01; 86(1): 117-122
DOI: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6600019
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1. Br J Cancer. 2002 Jan 7;86(1):117-22.
Galanin and galanin receptor expression in neuroblastic tumours: correlation with
their differentiation status.
Perel Y(1), Amrein L, Dobremez E, Rivel J, Daniel JY, Landry M.
Author information:
(1)Laboratory of Differentiation and Development Biology, EA DRED 483, University
of Bordeaux 2, 146, rue Leo Saignat, 33076 Bordeaux Cedex, France.
Neuroblastoma and its benign differentiated counterpart, ganglioneuroma, are
paediatric neuroblastic tumours arising in the sympathetic nervous system. Their
broad spectrum of clinical virulence is mainly related to heterogeneous biologic
background and tumour differentiation. Neuroblastic tumours synthesize various
neuropeptides acting as neuromodulators. Previous studies suggested that galanin
plays a role in sympathetic tissue where it could be involved in differentiation
and development. We investigated the expression and distribution of galanin and
its three known receptors (Gal-R1, Gal-R2, Gal-R3) in 19 samples of neuroblastic
tumours tissue by immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization and
fluorescent-ligand binding. This study provides clear evidence for galanin and
galanin receptor expression in human neuroblastic tumours. The messengers coding
for galanin, Gal-R1 and -R3 were highly expressed in neuroblastoma and their
amount dramatically decreased in ganglioneuroma. In contrast, Gal-R2 levels
remained unchanged. Double labelling studies showed that galanin was mainly
co-expressed with its receptors whatever the differentiation stage. In
neuroblastic tumours, galanin might promote cell-survival or counteract neuronal
differentiation through the different signalling pathways mediated by galanin
receptors. Finally, our results suggest that galanin influences neuroblastoma
growth and development as an autocrine/paracrine modulator. These findings
suggest potential critical implications for galanin in neuroblastic tumours
development.
DOI: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6600019
PMCID: PMC2746536
PMID: 11857022 [Indexed for MEDLINE]