Summary
Normal parathyroid glands and parafollicular cells (C-cells) of man, rat and rabbit, and also human parathyroid adenomas and medullary carcinomas were investigated for the presence of S-100 protein and neuron-specific enolase (NSE). For determination of the proteins immuno-peroxidase methods were applied, i.e., the PAP method and the avidin-biotin system. The antisera, of polyclonal origin, were specifically directed against cow S-100 protein and rat or bovine NSE. The respective antisera are known to crossreact with S-100 protein from man, rat, and rabbit, as well as with NSE from man and rat. Surprisingly, the test for S-100 protein was found to be strongly positive in the parathyroid glands of rat and rabbit and was focally positive in normal and adenomatous human parathyroid glands, but completely negative in C-cells and medullary carcinoma cells. NSE was present in C-cells of rat and man, and in medullary carcinoma cells, but was absent in normal and adenomatous parathyroid cells. The results support data that indicate that both parathyroid cells and C-cells are derived from elements of the neural crest, but undergo different maturation processes during embryological development.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Altenähr E (1972) Ultrastructural pathology of parathyroid glands. Curr Top Pathol 56:1–54
Carney DN, Marangos PJ, Ihde D, Bunn PA, Cohen MH, Minna JD, Gazdar DF (1982) Serum neuron-specific enolase: a marker for disease extent and response to therapy of small-cell lung cancer. Lancet 1:583–585
Castleman B, Roth SI (1978) Tumors of the parathyroid glands. Armed Forces Inst Pathol, Washington DC
Cocchia D, Michetti F, Donato R (1981) Immunochemical and immunocytochemical localization of S-100 antigen in normal human skin. Nature 294:85–87
Dietel M, Hölzel F (1983) Influence on parathyroid Hormone storage in normal and adenomatous parathyroid tissue by stimulation and inhibition in vitro. J Histochem Cytochem 31:272–284
Gaynor R, Irie R, Morton D, Herschman HR (1980) S-100 protein is present in cultured human malignant melanomas. Nature 286:400–401
Graham DI, Thomas DGT, Brown J (1983) Nervous system antigens. Histopathology 7:1–21
Heitz PU, Kasper M, Polak JM, Klöppel G (1982) Pancreatic endocrine tumours. Immunocytochemical analysis of 125 tumours. Hum Pathol 13:263–271
Hsu SM, Raine L, Fanger H (1981) Use of avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex (ABC) in immunoperoxidase techniques: a comparison between ABC and unlabeled antibody (PAP) procedures. J Histochem Cytochem 29:577–580
Klöppel G, Girard J, Polak JM, Vaitukaitis JL, Kasper M, Heitz PHU (1983) Alpha-Human chorionic gonadotropin and neuronspecific enolase as markers for malignancy and neuroendocrine nature of pancreatic endocrine tumor. Cancer Detect Prev 6:161–166
Ludwin SK, Kosek JC, Eng LF (1976) The topographical distribution of S-100 and GFA proteins in the adult rat brain: An immunohistochemical study using horseradish peroxidase-labelled antibodies. J Comp Neurol 165:197–208
Marangos PJ, Polak JM, Pearse AGE (1982) Neuron-specific enolase. A Probe for neurons and neuroendocrine cells. Trends Neurosci 222:193–196
Marangos PJ (1985) Clinical utility of neuron-specific enolase as a neuroendocrine tumour marker. In: Polak JM, Bloom STR (eds) Endocrine tumours. Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh, pp 181–192
Moore BW (1965) Soluble protein characteristic of the nervous system. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 19:739–744
Moore BW, Perez VJ (1968) Specitic acidic proteins of the nervous system. In: Carlson FD (ed) Pysiological and biochemical aspects of nervous integration. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, pp 343–360
Nakajima T, Yamaguchi H, Takahashi K (1980) S-100 protein in folliculostellate cells of the rat pituitary anterior lobe. Brain Res 191:523–531
Norris EH (1946) Anatomical evidence of prenatal function of the human parathyroid glands. Anat Rec 96:129–141
Pearse AGE (1975) Neurocristopathy, neuroendocrine pathology and the APUD concept. Z Krebsforsch 84:1–18
Pearse AGE, Polak JM (1974) Endocrine tumours of neural crest origin: Neurolymphomas, apudomas, and the apud concept. Med Biol 52:3–18
Rode J, Dhillon AP (1984) Neuron-specific enolase and S-100 protein as possible prognostic indicators in melanoma. Histopathology 8:1041–1052
Royds JA, Parsons MA, Taylor CB, Timperley WR (1981) Enolase isoenzyme distribution in the human brain and its tumors. J Pathol 137:37–49
Schäfer HJ (1979) Zellcalcium und Zellfunktion. Gustav Fischer, Stuttgart New York
Schmechel DE (1985) y-Subunit of the glycolytic enzyme enolase: non-specific or neuron-specific? Lab Invest 52:239–242
Schmechel D, Marangos PJ, Brightman M (1978) Neuron-specific enolase is a molecular marker for peripheral and central neuroendocrine cells. Nature 276:834–836
Stefansson K, Wollmann RL, Moore BW, Arnason BG (1982) S-100 protein in human chondrocytes. Nature 295:63–64
Sternberger LA (1979) Immunocytochemistry, 2nd edn. J Wiley, New York
Takahashi K, Yamaguchi H, Ishizeki J, Nakajima T, Nakazato Y (1981) Immunohistochemical and immunoelectron microscopic localization of S-100 protein in the interdigitating reticulum cells of the human lymph node. Virchows Arch [Cell Pathol] 37:125–135
Takahashi K, Isobe T, Ohtsuki Y, Akagi T, Sonobe H, Okuyama T (1984) Immunohistochemical study on the distribution of α and β subunits of S-100 protein in human neoplasm and normal tissues. Virchows Arch [Cell Patholl] 45:385–396
Tapia FJ, Polak JM, Barbosa AJA (1981) Neuron specific enolase is produced by neuro-endocrine tumours. Lancet 1:808–811
Weichert PF (1970) The neutral ectodermal origin of the peptide-secreting endocrine glands. A unifying concept for the etiology of multiple endocrine adenomatosis and the inappropriate secretion of peptide hormones by nonendocrine tumors. Am J Med 49:232–241
Welbourn RB (1977) Current status of the apudomas. An Surg 181:1
Yamaguchi H (1980) Studies on the immunohistochemical localization of S-100 and glial fibrillary acidic proteins in the rat nervous system and in human brain tumors. Brain Nerve 32:1055–1064
Zabel M, Schäfer H (1985) Ultrastructural immunocytochemical localization of neuron-specific enolase in parafollicular cells of the rat thyroid. Histochemistry 83:77–80
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zabel, M., Dietel, M. S-100 protein and neuron-specific enolase in parathyroid glands and C-cells of the thyroid. Histochemistry 86, 389–392 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00494999
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00494999