Human Yolk Sac Tumor Research Articles

Human yolk sac tumor of the ovary serially heterotransplanted in nude mice

Human yolk sac tumor of the ovary was transplanted in nude mice. The transplanted tumor cells had an ability to grow in this heterologous host, and produced a solid tumor, which we have designated as YST-1 tumor. Histology of the YST-1 tumor, even after serial transplantation in nude mice, was similar to that of the original tumor taken from the patient. Electron microscopic observation and autoradiogram of tumor cells labeled with [ 3H] thymidine suggested that the YST-1 cells had a high proliferative activity. α-Fetoprotein (AFP) levels of sera of the tumor-bearing nude mice and in the extract of YST-1 tumors have been found to be high. The presence of AFP in the cytoplasm of the YST-1 cells was demonstrated by immunofluorescent antibody staining using an antiserum against human AFP. It appears that the YST-1 tumor cells grown in nude mice preserve the characteristics of a human yolk sac tumor of the ovary, and the YST-1 cells were capable of producing AFP. The usefulness of this experimental system for searching an effective clinical treatment of the human yolk sac tumor is discussed.

Immunohistochemical demonstration of a hitherto undescribed localization of hemoglobin A and F in endodermal cells of normal human yolk sac and endodermal sinus tumor.

In this study of 4 human yolk sacs, the presence of hemoglobin A and F (HbA and HbF) is demonstrated for the first time in epithelial cells (type 1) and erythroid-like cells (type 2) in the endodermal layer by immunoperoxidase technique. Our findings strongly support the hypothesis previously proposed that the red blood cells formed in the yolk sac are of endodermal origin. Tumor with yolk sac differentiation (8 endodermal sinus tumors and 1 embryonal carcinoma with vitelline areas) similarly showed HbA and HbF localisation in endodermal cells. None of 59 germ cell tumors of other types contained these hemoglobins in the neoplastic cells.