Podoplanin is expressed in subsets of tumors of the central nervous system

Immunohistochemical analyses with the monoclonal antibody D2-40 were performed to ascertain the expression of podoplanin (a.k.a. T1-alpha, gp36, or aggrus) in tumors of the central nervous system (CNS) and to determine the diagnostic utility of the antibody. The analyses were performed on 325 tumors of various histologic types. The chief finding was almost constant immunoreactivity in ependymal tumors (37/40, 92.5%), choroid plexus papillomas (8/8, 100%), and meningiomas (100/100, 100%). The reactivity was considered "tissue-specific," as the corresponding normal tissue of each tumor was also found to express podoplanin. In addition, expression, not committed to the lineages, was found in many other tumor types, including astrocytic tumors, medulloblastomas, and hemangioblastomas, with variable frequency and intensity. The way of expression was not fully understood, but the expression in astrocytic tumors seemed to be associated with pronounced fibrous properties or malignant phenotype, as was shown by high-frequent expression in pilocytic astrocytomas (12/12, 100%) and glioblastomas (29/35, 82.9%). The present study has shown that podoplanin is expressed in several types of CNS tumors with variable frequency and intensity. Given the widespread expression of podoplanin, the antibody D2-40 is of little use in diagnostic practice for CNS tumors.