Variable expression of tenascin-C, osteopontin and fibronectin in inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour of the lung

The aim of this study was to analyse the expression of tenascin-C, osteopontin and fibronectin in inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour of the lung, which is a rare tumour of unknown aetiology. Nine patients with an inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour of lung were studied by immunohistochemistry for the presence of tenascin-C, osteopontin, fibronectin and alpha-smooth muscle actin, which is a common marker for myofibroblasts. The ultrastructure of myofibroblasts was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. The expression of tenascin-C, osteopontin, fibronectin and alpha-smooth muscle actin was also studied by immunoelectron microscopy. All cases displayed all of the studied extracellular matrix proteins and also alpha-smooth muscle actin-positive spindle-shaped fibroblastic cells that were undoubtedly myofibroblasts. The immunoelectron microscopic studies demonstrated labelling for alpha-smooth muscle actin in intracellular filament bundles within myofibroblasts, for fibronectin in the extracellular filaments of the fibronexus and for tenascin-C extracellularly often adjacent to myofibroblasts. Labels for osteopontin were observed within myofibroblasts and plasma cells. These results demonstrate that tenascin-C, osteopontin and fibronectin were expressed in all three kinds of subtypes of inflammatory myofibroblastic tumours of the lung and further, variable amounts of myofibroblasts could be observed by light and transmission electron microscopy as well as by immunoelectron microscopic techniques.