@article{e3590721bbdd4708b8bb6a191c2db518,
title = "Localization of thymosin beta-4 in tumors.",
abstract = "Overexpression of thymosin beta-4 has been linked to malignant progression but the localization of this polypeptide within tumors is incompletely known. We therefore examined breast cancers for thymosin beta-4 using immunofluorescence. Reactive cells were identified with monoclonal cell marker antibodies. A very heterogeneous staining pattern for thymosin beta-4 was observed. Thus, while leukocytes and macrophages showed intense reactivity for this polypeptide, cancer cells, and endothelial cells showed a much more variable reactivity. A similar heterogeneous staining was observed also in colorectal carcinomas. The degree of staining of breast cancer cells for thymosin beta-4 correlated neither to histological grade nor to endothelial cell staining. However, there was a tendency toward correlation (P = 0.07) between staining of endothelial cells and histological grade. Treatment of cultured breast cancer cells (SK-BR-3) with 1-4 microg thymosin beta-4/mL significantly increased cell numbers, as determined by MTT-assays. These data reveal an unexpected cellular heterogeneity of thymosin beta-4 expression in breast and colonic carcinomas and suggest that local release of this polypeptide in the tumor microenvironment may modulate tumor behavior.",
keywords = "brystkr{\ae}ft mammakancer thymosin, breast cancer",
author = "Larsson, {L. -I.} and Susanne Holck",
year = "2007",
language = "English",
volume = "1112",
pages = "317--325",
journal = "New York Academy of Sciences. Annals",
issn = "0077-8923",
publisher = "John Wiley and Sons Inc.",
}