ORIGINAL ARTICLE

EpCAM and gpA33 are markers of Barrett’s metaplasia

N A C S Wong^1,3, B F Warren¹, J Piris¹, N Maynard², R Marshall² and W F Bodmer³

¹ Department of Cellular Pathology, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
² Department of Surgery, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
³ Cancer Research UK Cancer and Immunogenetics Laboratory, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr N A C S Wong
Department of Histopathology, Bristol Royal Infirmary, Marlborough Street, Bristol BS2 8HW, UK; nacs.wong{at}bristol.ac.uk

Aims: To characterise a specific and sensitive marker of Barrett’s metaplasia (BM).

Methods: Cases of normal oesophageal squamous mucosa (11 fresh endoscopic biopsies and 10 formalin fixed, paraffin embedded tissue blocks), BM (11 biopsies and 11 tissue blocks), and normal gastric body mucosa (five biopsies and five tissue blocks) were analysed using reverse transcriptase PCR, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry for EpCAM, and reverse transcriptase PCR for gpA33.

Results: Strong EpCAM mRNA expression was detected in all the BM cases, in contrast to weak expression in all the normal gastric mucosal samples and no expression in any of the normal oesophageal mucosal samples tested. Strong gpA33 mRNA expression was detected in all the BM cases, in contrast to weak expression in a quarter of the normal gastric mucosal samples and no expression in any of the normal oesophageal mucosal samples tested. Western blotting showed EpCAM protein expression in all the BM cases and in none of the normal gastric or oesophageal mucosal samples tested. Immunohistochemistry showed strong EpCAM protein expression in BM and complete absence of expression in normal oesophageal squamous epithelium. Scattered EpCAM expressing cells were found in the gland bases of normal gastric body mucosa.

Conclusions: EpCAM protein and gpA33 mRNA expressions are specific and sensitive markers of BM.

Abbreviations: BM, Barrett’s metaplasia; IM, intestinal metaplasia

Keywords: Barrett’s metaplasia; diagnostic marker; EpCAM; gpA33

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