Fig 1.
Characterization of basal cell markers in normal prostate samples, canine p63+ PC and canine p63- PC.
(A) p63 immunohistochemical expression in a normal prostate gland. Positive basal cells were observed in a discontinuous basal cell layer. (B) p63+ tumor showing diffuse nuclear p63 expression by neoplastic cells. (C) p63- tumor presenting no p63 expression (blue staining). Few non-neoplastic basal cells with nuclear p63 expression (internal control–black arrows) were observed. (D) Immunohistochemical staining of high molecular weight cytokeratin (HMWC) in a normal prostate gland. Positive staining was observed in few basal cells (brown staining—white arrows) establishing a discontinuous basal cell layer. (E and F) Diffuse HMWC expression in p63+ and p63- tumors, respectively. (G) CK5 immunohistochemical expression in canine normal samples. There was a discontinuous basal cell layer with few CK5 positive cells (brown staining). (H) p63+ tumor showing diffuse CK5 expression (brown staining) in all neoplastic cells. (I) p63 tumor showing no CK5 expression by neoplastic cells (blue staining). An atrophic prostatic gland (black arrow) was observed presenting diffuse CK5 expression (internal control). (J) CK8/18 expression in normal prostate. Positive cytoplasmic expression was observed in the epithelial luminal cells (brown staining). p63+ (K) and p63 (L) tumors presented diffuse cytoplasmic staining in all neoplastic cells (brown staining). The negative staining can be observed as a blue signal.
Table 1.
Immunohistochemical panel evaluated in normal canine prostate tissues and neoplastic prostate cells according to p63 expression.
Fig 2.
Immunohistochemical staining for NKX3.1, AR, PTEN, AKT AND C-MYC in canine prostate cancer.
(A) Normal prostatic tissue presented strong expression of NKX3.1. All p63+ and p63- PCs were negative for NKX3.1 staining (B and C). D: Strong expression of AR was observed in normal prostatic tissue. (E and F) Few neoplastic and basal cells were positive for AR in p63+ PC and p63- PC. (G) Normal prostatic tissue presented strong expression of PTEN. p63+ PC (H) and p63- PC (L) showed low PTEN expression. (J) Normal prostatic tissue showed AKT negative PTEN expression (blue staining). (K and L) Strong expression in p63+ and P63- PC was noted. (M) Normal prostatic tissue showed negative C-MYC expression, and higher expression was noted in both p63+ (N) and p63- (O) tumors.
Fig 3.
Photomicrograph showing the canine prostate cancer.
Double immunohistochemical staining for p63 and CK8/18. (A) PC with p63-/CK8/18+ phenotype. It is possible to note cytoplasmic CK8/18 expression (red staining—arrow) in neoplastic cells and nuclear negative p63 staining in neoplastic cells. There is a p63+/CK8/18- basal cell (arrowhead) (internal control). Negative signal can be observed as the blue color. (B) PC with p63+/CK8/18+ phenotype. Note the neoplastic doubled stained cells (arrows). It is also observed p63-/CK8/18+ cells (arrowhead) and p63+/CK8/18- basal cells (doted circle).
Fig 4.
There was no difference in p63 expression in tumor samples compared to normal samples (A and C) and there was higher expression of HMWC in tumor samples compared with normal samples (B and D).