Zeitschrift für Molekulare Histologie und Medizinische Physiologie

The Application of Molecular Histology to the Study of Solid Tumors

Abstract

Andrew Perry

Mutations in dominant oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes are common in human cancer. Many molecular approaches are used to discover these aberrations, including single-strand conformational polymorphism, polymerase chain reaction, cloning, and sequencing. However, the biological significance of these changes is not always clear. In neoplastic vs. normal cells, immunohistochemistry (ICH) or western blotting of aberrant gene products can offer information about their cellular localization and expression, as well as a suggestion about their function. For example, ICH has found that loss of the intercellular adhesion molecule E-cadherin, or abnormal location of E-cadherin from the cell membrane to the cytoplasm, is linked to a wide range of tumour phenotypes and a poor prognosis.