[Immunohistochemical study of S-100 protein in the normal human brain and glioblastoma]

The authors investigated the immunohistochemical localization of S-100 protein in normal human brain and glioblastoma tissues by the peroxidase anti-peroxidase method of Sternberger. In normal human brain the positive immunoperoxidase reaction for S-100 protein was observed in astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, ependymal cells, Bergmann's glial cells and epithelial cells of choroid plexus. No positive staining was revealed in any cortical neurons. Immunoelectron-microscopically, the electron dense positive reaction for S-100 protein was seen throughout the cytoplasm, nucleoplasm and cell processes of astrocyte as well as oligodendrocyte. The positive reaction for S-100 protein was demonstrated occasionally in association with cytoplasmic membrane or the membrane constituting cell organelles. We suspect that this observation indicates the existence of membrane-bound form of S-100 protein. In glioblastoma cells, the positive reaction for S-100 protein was relatively weak in intensity as compared with astrocytes, and the degree of positive staining varied from cell to cell. Subcellular localization of S-100 protein in glioblastoma seemed to be essentially similar to that of normal astrocyte. There are some recent reports concerning immunohistochemical localization of alpha and beta subunits of S-100 protein. As compared with these reports, the present immunohistochemical results indicate that the rabbit anti-S-100 antibody embloyed in the present study is mainly against beta subunit of S-100 protein. Although there have been many reports concerning immunohistochemical localization of S-100 protein, the biological role of S-100 protein is still speculative. Some hypotheses are advocated in connection with the possible biological role of S-100 protein. For example, the modulation of synaptic transmission by S-100 protein, the participation of S-100 protein in hormonal secretion and in transport of cations through lipid membrane, the activation of protein kinase and the promotion of disassembly of microtubules by S-100 protein are postulated. It is hard to assume the biological role of S-100 protein based on the immunohistochemical results alone. The present study clearly indicates that S-100 protein exists widely in the cytoplasm, nucleoplasm, cytoplasmic membrane, outer membranes of cell organelles and cell processes of glial cells as well as glioblastoma cells. From these results we assume that S-100 protein plays an important role of intracellular transport of cations as one of the calcium binding proteins.