Abstract
Schwannoma is a benign peripheral nerve sheath tumor derived from Schwann cells. Bone scalloping, including spinal foramen enlargement, develops when the tumor is located adjacent to a bone and is a characteristic radiological feature. In the present study, to investigate the pathomechanism of bone resorption, the expression of noggin (a potent antagonist of bone morphogenetic protein) was analyzed in schwannoma tissues and compared with that observed in other soft tissue tumors. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that the mRNA levels of noggin in schwannomas were significantly increased compared with the levels in other tumors. The gene product of noggin was only detected in a subset of schwannomas using immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis. Furthermore, the tissue extract from a noggin-producing schwannoma was found to inhibit osteoblastic differentiation in MC3T3 mouse osteoblastic cells in a dose-dependent manner. These findings indicate that bone scalloping in radiology may be induced by schwannoma-secreted noggin. In addition, noggin may have potential as a novel molecular and diagnostic marker for identifying certain types of schwannoma.
Highlights
Schwannomas, known as neurilemmomas, are common, benign soft tissue tumors of nerve sheath origin
Noggin mRNA expression was found to be significantly increased in the schwannoma tissue compared with the other soft tissue tumors (P
An extracellular homodimeric glycoprotein, is a bone morphogenetic protein antagonist, which binds to BMP‐2/4 with high affinity; noggin interferes with BMP‐receptor binding [18,19]
Summary
Schwannomas, known as neurilemmomas, are common, benign soft tissue tumors of nerve sheath origin. These slow‐growing lesions arise from the peripheral, spinal or cranial nerves and commonly present several years prior to diagnosis [1,2,3]. Characteristic bone scalloping of the spinal cord, including foramen enlargement, may develop when these tumors are located adjacent to a bone [4]. Bone scalloping has been reported to occur in the bones of the extremities, as well as in vertebral bodies [5,6,7,8]. Little has been reported on the periosteal reactions or sclerotic changes in the bones that are in contact with schwannomas. Bone scalloping is considered to be a radiologically benign indication of the prolonged existence of a tumor; the molecular mechanism underlying this process has yet to be elucidated
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