Identification and characterization of 2 testicular germ cell markers, Glut3 and CyclinA2

Testicular germ cell tumors (TGCT) are the most common type of testicular tumor and encompass different histologic types that greatly influence treatment and prognosis. Immunohistochemical studies may be required for accurate classification, particularly when these tumors present at extragonadal sites, and to aid in distinguishing histologic types. Traditional markers for identifying and distinguishing TGCT include PLAP, CD117, AFP, and CD30. More recently, the addition of OCT3/4 and SALL4 has increased sensitivity for immunohistochemical detection of germ cell tumors. We examined gene expression data from a previously published microarray study that compared normal testis mRNA expression to various TGCT. We also performed a search of the literature to identify less well-characterized markers. Glut3 and cyclinA2 showed promise as TGCT markers. Therefore, we evaluated expression of glut3 and cyclinA2 by immunohistochemistry using tissue microarrays (TMAs). Of 66 seminomas included in the TMA, 64 (97%) showed positive nuclear staining for cyclinA2 and 58 (88%) were strongly positive. Strong positive staining for cyclinA2 was also seen in the spermatocytic seminoma. All 20 of the embryonal carcinomas stained positively with cyclinA2, and 19 (95%) displayed strong nuclear staining for cyclinA2. Twenty of the 20 embryonal carcinomas stained for glut3 in a strong membranous pattern. Of 8 yolk sac tumors, 100% stained with glut3. We also evaluated glut3 and cyclinA2 staining on a general TMA containing 486 samples representing 156 different tumors. CyclinA2 stained a number of other tumor types, but the majority of these were weak or focal staining. Glut3 was rarely positive in other tumors; interestingly, most of these were of ovarian origin. We conclude that glut3 is a sensitive (96%) and specific (92%) marker for embryonal carcinomas and yolk sac tumors. Although cyclinA2 is a sensitive marker of seminomas and embryonal carcinomas (98%), its specificity is lower if focal and weak staining of nongerm cell tumors is considered positive. The sensitivity and specificity of glut3 are comparable with that seen for SALL4.