CELLULAR-BINDING PROTEINS FOR VITAMIN-A IN HUMAN CARCINOMAS AND IN NORMAL-TISSUES

  • 1 January 1980
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 40  (11) , 4221-4224
Abstract
Blinded analyses of the concentrations of binding proteins for retinol and retinoic acid (CRABP) in homogenates of cancer and normal human tissue aliquots were carried out by sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation. In carcinomas of the cervix and endometrium, CRABP mean values of 50.4 and 123.2 pmol/g tissue, respectively, were detected. Such concentrations represent a 3- and 4-fold increase over the mean values of CRABP in the normal cervix and normal endometrium, respectively. In carcinomas of the ovary, the mean CRABP level was 128.6 pmol/g compared to a maximal mean value of .ltoreq. 0.46 pmol/g in the normal ovary. Elevated levels of CRABP were also found in breast and lung carcinomas compared to the amounts detected in the same patient in normal tissue aliquots of the same organ. The differences between CRABP concentrations in cervical, endometrial, ovarian and breast carcinomas and those in normal tissue are statistically significant. Cellular retinol-binding protein concentrations were reduced in the endometrial, ovarian, breast and lung carcinomas compared to normal tissues. There were no significant differences between the log-mean concentrations of cellular retinol-binding proteins in the cytosols from tissue aliquots of carcinoma of the cervix and those in the cytosols from tissue aliquots of normal cervix.