R1: Immunohistochemical study of mucins in human intestinal spirochetosis

Publication date: Available online 8 February 2017
Source:Human Pathology
Author(s): Sho Ogata, Ken Shimizu, Susumu Tominaga, Kuniaki Nakanishi
Most patients with human intestinal spirochetosis (HIS; a colorectal bacterial infection caused by Brachyspira species) seem asymptomatic, and its pathogenicity remains unclear. Recently, alterations in mucin expression were reported in animal Brachyspira infection. The present question was "Is mucin expression altered in HIS?". Using antibodies for MUCs 1, 2, 4, 5 AC, and 6, we immunohistochemically compared 215 specimens from 83 histology-confirmed HIS cases with 106 specimens from 26 non-HIS cases. Positive staining (which included even focal positive staining) was rated "high (+)" or "low (+)". Results were analysed for four categories of lesions, and associations between MUC expression and spirochetal presence were also analysed. In the "specimens without polyps or adenocarcinoma" category: high (+) MUC2-positivity was more frequent in HIS than in control. In the hyperplasia/serrated polyp category: in HIS (vs. control), the MUC5AC-positivity rate was lower, while high (+) MUC4-positivity was more frequent. In the conventional adenoma category: in HIS (vs. control), the MUC1-positivity rate was lower, while both high (+) MUC2-positivity and high (+) MUC5AC-positivity were less frequent. In the adenocarcinoma category: high (+) MUC2-positivity was more frequent in HIS than in control. Among the above mucins, only MUC1-positivity was significantly associated with an absence of the so-called fringe formation, an absence of spiral organisms within mucus, and an absence of strong immunopositive materials within the epithelial layer and within the subepithelial layer. The results suggest that Brachyspira infection or a related change in the microbiome may alter the large intestine mucin-expression profile in humans.



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