Expression of c-yes oncogene product in various animal tissues and spontaneous canine tumours

Abstract

An immunohistochemical study of various visceral organs of normal adult dogs, cats, pigs, horses, cows, and chickens (five of each species) and of 185 spontaneous canine tumours was carried out using paraffin wax sections and a commercially available antibody to the human c- yes oncogene product. Among the adult normal tissues of six animal species, epithelial cells of the proximal and distal renal tubules, the myocardium, hepatocytes, cerebellar Purkinje cells and adrenal cortical cells were positive for c- yes product. Among the foetal tissues of dogs and chickens, a positive reaction was observed on canine chorionic villi cells and chick yolk sac surface epithelium, and on epithelial cells of the renal tubules, hepatocytes and the myocardium. These findings suggest that the c- yes proto-oncogene may play a physiological role in the cell growth and metabolism of these adult and foetal tissues. Of the 185 tumours tested, 59 (31.9 per cent) expressed the c- yes oncogene product. The c- yes -positive tumours accounted for 44.4 per cent (12/27) of the skin tumours, 5.5 per cent (1/18) of the round cell tumours, 35. 7 per cent (10/28) of the soft tissue tumours, 21.4 per cent (3/14) of the testicular tumours, 29.1 per cent (23/79) of the mammary tumours, and 52.6 per cent (10/19) of the other tumours types. Expression of the c- yes oncogene appeared to be common in spontaneously arising canine tumours, and the degree of expression varied considerably by tumour type.