Table 1

Expression of BLIMP1, PRMT5 and dimethylated histone H4/H2A in normal and neoplastic testicular tissues


BLIMP1
PRMT5
H4R3me2s/H2Ame2s

Normal fetal testis



     Gonocytes
+++ (n)
+++ (n,c)
+++ (n)
     Pre-spermatogonia
-
-

Normal adult testis (N = 18)



     Spermatogonia
-
-
++ (n)
     Pachytene spermatocytes
-
+ (n)
-
     Round spermatids
+ (n,c)
++ (n)
++ (n)
     Elongated spermatids
-
-
-
Testicular germ cell tumors



     IGCNU (N = 15)
+++ (n)
85–100%
+++ (c)
75–95%
+++ (n)
90–100%
     Seminoma (N = 20)
++ (n)
10–75%
++ (n+c)
30–85%
++ (n)
20–80%
     Embryonal carcinoma (N = 15)
+/-(c)*
15–80%
++ (c)
15–80%
(+)*
     Teratoma (N = 5)
+ (n, c)
+ (n, c)
+ (n)
     Chorioncarcinoma (N = 3)
+ (c)
-
-

N, number of cases; n, nuclear staining; c, cytoplasmatic staining

+ weak; ++ moderate; +++, strong expression; -, no expression detectable

*, only single tumor cells were detected as positive.

Eckert et al. BMC Developmental Biology 2008 8:106   doi:10.1186/1471-213X-8-106