Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Carboxypeptidase A3 protein found in dog mast cell tumors and normal
By Hämäläinen, Sanna et al.·Published in Veterinary pathology·2022·University of Helsinki·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Carboxypeptidase A3 expression in canine mast cell tumors and tissue-resident mast cells.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that carboxypeptidase A3 (CPA3), a specific protein, is present in mast cell tumors (MCTs), which are common skin cancers in dogs. Researchers observed CPA3 in both healthy and cancerous mast cells from various tissues, including skin and organs, indicating its potential as a marker for these tumors. The presence of CPA3 was consistent across all tumor grades, but a specific pattern of CPA3 labeling was linked to more aggressive tumors. This suggests that CPA3 could help veterinarians better understand and diagnose mast cell tumors in dogs.
People also search for: dog mast cell tumor symptoms · canine skin cancer treatment · what is carboxypeptidase A3 in dogs
Abstract
Mast cell tumors (MCTs) are one of the most common cutaneous malignancies in dogs. Previous studies have reported expression of mast cell-specific proteases chymase and tryptase in canine cutaneous MCTs and in connective tissue and mucosal mast cells. In humans and rodents, mast cells express an additional specific protease, carboxypeptidase A3 (CPA3). In this article, we describe CPA3 immunoreactivity in connective tissue, visceral, mucosal, and neoplastic mast cells in dogs. Positive immunolabeling for CPA3 was observed in nonneoplastic mast cells in 20/20 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded normal tissues (skin, liver, spleen, intestine), and in 63/63 MCTs irrespective of their histological grade. CPA3 protein expression was comparable to that of c-kit in both the nonneoplastic and neoplastic mast cells. Three distinct labeling patterns (membranous, diffuse, and focal cytoplasmic) were observed for CPA3 in MCTs. The focal cytoplasmic labeling pattern was associated with high-grade MCTs staged with the Kiupel 2-tier grading criteria. We propose CPA3 as a novel immunohistochemical marker for canine mast cells in health and disease.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34894899/