Villin expression in human tumours: a tissue microarray study on 12,429 tumours

Abstract

Villin protein is part of the brush border of the apical membrane of epithelial cells. Villin is used as an immunohistochemical marker for colorectal and gastrointestinal neoplasms although other tumour entities can also express villin. To comprehensively determine villin expression in normal and neoplastic tissues, a tissue microarray containing >14,000 samples from 118 different tumour types and subtypes as well as 608 samples of 76 different normal tissue types was analysed. Villin positivity was found in 54 of tumour categories and was most commonly seen in adenocarcinomas and neuroendocrine tumours of the colorectum (60–100%), upper gastrointestinal tract (61–100%), bilio-pancreatic system (25–86%), yolk sack tumours (76%), and in mucinous carcinomas of the ovary (67%). Villin was also common in various categories of extra-gastrointestinal neuroendocrine neoplasms (22–41%), kidney tumours (up to 18%), hepatocellular carcinoma (25%), endometroid carcinoma of the ovary (20%) and of the endometrium (12%) as well as in adenocarcinomas of the lung (12%). These data demonstrate that villin is frequently expressed in gastrointestinal, biliopancreatic, and neuroendocrine neoplasms, but at least weak villin positivity occurred in 54 different tumour categories. Villin immunohistochemistry should, thus, be applied as a part of a panel for the distinction of tumours.