Overexpression of aldolase A and cytokeratin 19 in ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma.

Ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma (OPA) is a transmissible lung cancer of sheep caused by jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV). In the present study the protein profiles of five neoplastic and three non-neoplastic sheep lung tissues were examined for the identification of proteins overexpressed in ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma. Lung sections of the experimental group of sheep were collected during necropsies for proteomic and immunohistochemical examination. Two dimensional electrophoresis (2DE) was performed using gel strips with immobilized pH gradient 3-10. As a result of 2DE gel analysis 14 spots characterized by over 2-fold higher expression in tumour proteomes were selected for mass spectrometry. In eleven spots more than one polypeptide was identified indicating overlapping of proteins in gels. In two spots demonstrating over 3-fold higher expression in OPA proteomes, single proteins: cytokerarin 19 (CK19) and aldolase A were identified. Immunohistochemical studies revealed that CK19 and aldolase A were expressed in the cytoplasm of epithelial cells of bronchioles in non-neoplastic lung sections, as well as epithelial cells of bronchioles and neoplastic cells in lung sections of OPA affected sheep. The results indicate that the overexpression of the two proteins reflects the presence of neoplastic cells in the lungs of OPA affected sheep.