Table 1.
Immunohistostaining of β-catenin and BRCA1 antibody
| Sample No. | BRCA1 | Total β-catenin | Active form of β-catenin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sporadic breast cancer (N=14) | |||
| 7803A2 | Nucleus | Cytoplasm | Both |
| 7277A2 | Nucleus | Cytoplasm | Both |
| 6750A1 | Nucleus | Cytoplasm | Both |
| 6579A2 | Nucleus | Cytoplasm | Both |
| 6966A1 | Nucleus | Cytoplasm | Both |
| 5613A3 | Nucleus | Cytoplasm | Both |
| 6109A2 | Abscent | Cytoplasm | Both |
| 7984B3 | Nucleus | Cytoplasm | Nucleus |
| 7251A1 | Nucleus | Cytoplasm | Nucleus |
| 7430A1 | Nucleus | Cytoplasm | Nucleus |
| 7409A6 | Nucleus | Cytoplasm | Nucleus |
| 7861A2 | Abscent | Cytoplasm | Abscent |
| 6897A2 | Abscent | Cytoplasm | Abscent |
| 7174A2 | Abscent | Cytoplasm | Abscent |
| BRCA1 mutant breast cancer (N=17) | |||
| 96-13274E | Abscent | Cytoplasm | Abscent |
| 97-33047D | Abscent | Cytoplasm | Abscent |
| 98-40452F | Abscent | Cytoplasm | Abscent |
| 98-39396C | Abscent | Cytoplasm | Abscent |
| 99-34824J | Abscent | Cytoplasm | Abscent |
| 99-54775B | Abscent | Cytoplasm | Abscent |
| 99-46137J | Abscent | Cytoplasm | Abscent |
| 00-22507P | Abscent | Cytoplasm | Abscent |
| 00-33584E | Abscent | Cytoplasm | Abscent |
| 01-840H | Abscent | Cytoplasm | Abscent |
| 02-5845F | Abscent | Cytoplasm | Abscent |
| 99-50810E | Nucleus | Cytoplasm | Abscent |
| 00-34056J | Nucleus | Cytoplasm | Abscent |
| 02-32869C | Nucleus | Cytoplasm | Abscent |
| 99-33943L | Both | Cytoplasm | Abscent |
| 04-7124K | Abscent | Cytoplasm | Both |
| 96-16383J | Nucleus | Cytoplasm | Both |
| Normal mammary gland (N=7) | |||
| 7827A3 | Nucleus | Cytoplasm | Both |
| 7561A1 | Nucleus | Cytoplasm | Both |
| 7690A2 | Nucleus | Cytoplasm | Both |
| 7643A1 | Nucleus | Cytoplasm | Both |
| 7518A1 | Nucleus | Cytoplasm | Both |
| 6486A1 | Nucleus | Cytoplasm | Cytoplasm |
| 7649A2 | Nucleus | Cytoplasm | Cytoplasm |
Both: Nucleus and Cytoplasm
In all samples, we detected cytoplasmic and cell membranous staining with total b-catenin antibody. As regards the expression of active b-catenin protein, no staining was observed in 15 out of 17 BRCA1 mutant cases (15/17=88.2%). On the other hand, in 3 out of 14 sporadic cases, no staining was detected (3/14=21.4%). This difference was statistically significant (p=0.00025: Fisher’s exact test). Furthermore, no BRCA1 staining was observed in 3 sporadic breast cancers without the expression of active b-catenin protein.
*
indicates the absence of active b-catenin expression in the samples.