Expression of claudin-1 in canine peripheral nerve sheath tumours and perivascular wall tumours. Immunohistochemical study.

AIMS: A peripheral nerve sheath tumour consists of neoplastic Schwann cells or perineurial cells, or a mixture of Schwann cells, perineurial cells and fibroblasts. The first aim of the present study was to characterise the expression of the claudin-1 tight junction protein in canine intact peripheral nerves, canine benign peripheral nerve sheath tumours (cBPNSTs), such as schwannomas, neurofibromas, perineuriomas and canine malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumours (cMPNSTs), and in different other benign and malignant canine spindle cell tumours. The second aim of the present study was to examine whether claudin-1 can help to distinguish the subgroups of canine perivascular wall tumours.

METHODS AND RESULTS: The biopsy and necropsy samples (n=203) included 10 intact peripheral nerves, 20 cBPNSTs (4 schwannomas, 8 neurofibromas, 8 perineuriomas), 16 cMPNSTs, 6 psammomatous meningiomas, 6 dermatofibromas, 6 leiomyomas, 6 myxomas, 4 spindle cell hemangiomas, 2 spindle cell lipomas, 6 fibrohistiocytic nodules, 8 fibrosarcomas, 8 leiomyosarcomas, 6 myxosarcomas, 8 hemangiosarcomas, 8 anaplastic sarcomas, 8 amelanotic spindle cell melanomas, 8 histiocytic sarcomas, 8 spindle cell carcinomas, 8 myoepitheliomas, 8 complex carcinomas, 5 cardiac rhabdomyosarcomas, 4 synovial sarcomas, 5 osteosarcomas, 4 chondrosarcomas and 4 liposarcomas; 31 canine perivascular wall tumours: 10 hemangiopericytomas, 8 myopericytomas, 6 angioleiomyomas, 4 angioleiomyosarcomas, 3 angiofibromas. The immunohistochemical panel consisted of humanized antibodies: anti-claudin-1, anti-neuron specific enolase, anti-S-100 protein, anti-α-smooth muscle actin, anti-vimentin, anti-cytokeratin AE1-AE3, anti-claudin-5, anti-Melan-A and anti-heavy caldesmon, anti-calponin and anti-desmin. The intact perineurial cells, all perineuriomas, neurofibromas, cMPNSTs, spindle cell carcinomas and epithelial components of the complex carcinomas, all hemangiopericytomas and myo-pericytomas showed claudin-1 positivity. The schwannomas and other spindle shape cell tumours were negative for claudin-1.

CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that an antibody against claudin-1, in combination with other antibodies, can be used as a novel diagnostic tool to differentiate canine peripheral nerve sheath tumours from other fusocellular tumours, and anti-claudin-1, together with other antibodies, can also be used to subclassify cBPNSTs. Furthermore, analysis of claudin-1 expression can help to differentiate between subgroups of canine perivascular wall tumours.