Nephroblastoma. A comparative immunocytochemical and lectin-histochemical study.

Nephroblastomas (Wilms' tumors) from a dog, a bird, a pig, and a child were subjected to comparative immunocytochemical and lectin-histochemical analysis along with normal renal tissues from the same animals. Primary rabbit and mouse anti-human antibodies directed at intermediate-filament proteins, neuron-specific enolase, S100 protein, and epithelial membrane antigen were employed, as were biotinylated peanut agglutinin, soybean agglutinin, wheat germ agglutinin, and lectins from Dolichos biflorus and Ulex europaeus. The human neoplasm showed positivity for cytokeratin and epithelial membrane antigen and bound peanut, soybean, and wheat germ agglutinins in epithelial areas. Among the animal tumors, the porcine and canine nephroblastomas showed immunoreactivity for cytokeratin and vimentin in epithelial and blastematous areas, respectively. In addition, they were positive for S100 protein in epithelial foci. All of these results were substantiated by staining patterns in nonhuman kidneys. None of the neoplasms or renal tissues showed reactivity to the other antigens that were assessed. In the porcine tumor, endothelial cells bound D biflorus lectin, and epithelial areas were stained by U europaeus lectin. The avian nephroblastoma bound peanut, soybean, and wheat germ agglutinins, while the canine neoplasm showed no lectin-histochemical reactivity. These data appear to reflect limited immunohistological and histochemical similarities between nephroblastomas of different vertebrates.