Evidence of ED-B+ fibronectin synthesis in human tissues by non-radioactive RNA in situ hybridization. Investigations on carcinoma (oral squamous cell and breast carcinoma), chronic inflammation (rheumatoid synovitis) and fibromatosis (Morbus Dupuytren)

 The splicing variant of fibronectin containing the ED-B domain (oncofoetal fibronectin) occurs in foetal tissues, reparative processes, organ fibrosis and in tumour tissues. Consequently, a supportive effect of ED-B⁺ fibronectin for tissue remodelling and tumour progression is assumed. A non-radioactive RNA-RNA in situ hybridization protocol for the investigation of ED-B⁺ fibronectin synthesis applicable in human tissues is introduced. The ED-B⁺ fibronectin synthesis was investigated in human disease processes, for which the occurrence of ED-B⁺ fibronectin is well demonstrated by immunohistochemistry (rheumatoid arthritis, oral squamous cell carcinoma, invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast and nodular palmar fibromatosis). The ED-B⁺ fibronectin synthesis could be shown in lining cells and in endothelial cells of synovial villi in rheumatoid arthritis, in stromal cells of oral squamous cell carcinoma and invasive ductal carcinoma and in fibro-/myofibroblasts in the proliferative and early involutional phase of nodular palmar fibromatosis. By means of double labelling (α-smooth muscle actin immunostaining - ED-B⁺ fibronectin in situ hybridization), the ED-B⁺ fibronectin synthesis could be shown to be a typical feature of myofibroblasts. In contrast to the often diffuse ED-B⁺ fibronectin immunostaining, only a few synthetically active stromal cells were observed focally accentuated within the tumour, which were interpreted as hot spots of tumour-stroma interaction. Accepted: 14 July 1997