Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
TGF-beta protein levels in organs of German shepherd with kidney
By Vercelli, A et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary medicine. A, Physiology, pathology, clinical medicine·2003·Department of Animal Pathology, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Expression of transforming growth factor-beta isoforms in the skin, kidney, pancreas and bladder in a German shepherd dog affected by renal cystadenocarcinoma and nodular dermatofibrosis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 10-year-old female German Shepherd was diagnosed with kidney cancer (renal cystadenocarcinoma) and skin lumps (nodular dermatofibrosis). Tests showed that a specific protein, TGF-beta1, was produced in higher amounts in her skin compared to healthy dogs, which might be linked to her skin condition. Although her blood levels of TGF-beta1 were similar to those of normal dogs, the increased production in her skin suggests it could be contributing to her symptoms. The findings indicate that TGF-beta1 may play a role in the skin issues associated with her kidney cancer.
People also search for: German Shepherd kidney cancer treatment · dog skin lumps causes · nodular dermatofibrosis in dogs
Abstract
The present study was performed to assess the expression of isoforms 1, 2 and 3 of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta in skin nodular dermatofibrosis lesions, kidney, bladder and pancreas from a 10-year-old female German shepherd dog (GSD) affected by renal cystadenocarcinoma and nodular dermatofibrosis (RCND) compared with normal GSDs (n = 2). Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues obtained from the dog affected by RCND, diagnosed by renal ultrasonography and histopathological examination were analysed by immunohistochemistry using polyclonal antibodies to TGF-beta1, 2 and 3, and evaluated semiquantitatively using an immunoreactivity score. Similar expression of TGF-beta2 and TGF-beta3 was observed in all tissue specimens in both the RCND-affected animal and normal dogs. In contrast, TGF-beta1 immunoreactivity was increased in the derma of the RCND canine. Comparable TGF-beta1 serum levels were found between the diseased and normal animals. The increased local cutaneous production of TGF-beta1 in the RCND dog, compared with the normal animals, suggests that this cytokine may play an important role in the induction of nodular dermatofibrosis associated with renal cystadenocarcinoma.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15157018/