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Updated: Feb 8, 2026
In Vivo Detection and Analysis of Rb Protein SUMOylation in Human Cells
Published on: November 2, 2017
Immunohistochemical assay for neuron-specific enolase, synaptophysin, and RB-associated protein as a diagnostic aid
José Carlos López López1, Nieves Fernández Alonso1, Juan Cuevas Álvarez1,2
1Ocular Pathology Laboratory, Instituto Universitario de Oftalmobiología Aplicada (IOBA), University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain, jclopezl@ioba.med.uva.es.
Purpose:
We evaluated the expression of the neural markers, neuron-specific enolase, and synaptophysin, as a tool to confirm the diagnosis of retinoblastoma (RB) in undifferentiated and advanced tumors. Additionally, we determined whether the extent of RB-associated protein (pRb) expression is helpful in assessing the prognosis in RB patients.
Methods:
Conventional whole tissue section and tissue microarray immunohistochemistry for neuron-specific enolase, synaptophysin, and pRb were carried out in a series of 22 RBs.
Results:
Neuron-specific enolase and synaptophysin were expressed in 75%-100% of the tumor cells, and the staining intensity was strong. Two RBs expressed pRb in 75%-100% of the tumor cells, also with strong staining intensity. Concordance between the immunohistochemical outcomes for whole tissue staining and tissue microarray staining was 76.2% for neuron-specific enolase, 85.7% for synaptophysin, and 80.0% for pRb.
Conclusion:
Neuron-specific enolase and synaptophysin have the potential to be useful markers for the diagnosis of RBs. Extensive and strong pRb staining is not associated with less aggressive tumor behavior according to the pathologic classification of RBs.
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