Isozyme pattern of enolase of childhood tumors

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Abstract
Retinoblastoma, neuroblastoma, and medulloblastoma have many common features, clinical as well as histologic; a common embryonic origin has been suggested. The authors studied the electrophoretic pattern of enolase (EC 4.2.1.11) in these tumors. All tumors were characterized by the presence of three types of enolase, designated as αα, αγ and γγ. The latter is supposed to be the neuron-specific enolase. Normal adult brain and adult retina show the same set of isozymes (αα, αγ and γγ). In contrast, gliomas of childhood, tumors originating from the supportive tissue of the central nervous system, are characterized mainly by the presence of the αα dimer and a small amount of the αγ hybrid. The results of this report support the hypothesis of a common embryonic origin of retinoblastoma, neuroblastoma, and medullo-blastoma.