PURPOSE: Retinoids, a group of compounds, including vitamin A (retinol), and related metabolites, have been shown to regulate the growth and differentiation of many types of cells. IFN-alpha and either 13-cis-retinoic acid or liposomal all-trans retinoic acid have been used in the treatment of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. We knew that samples from renal cell carcinomas contained greatly reduced levels of retinol and retinyl esters relative to samples from normal human kidney. This prompted us to examine the levels of LRAT (lecithin:retinol acyltransferase) protein in various subtypes of human kidney cancers relative to normal human kidney by immunohistochemistry.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We examined 31 partial or radical nephrectomy specimens diagnosed with kidney tumors between 1997 and 1998. Representative paraffin-embedded tissue blocks from each tumor, with each containing adjacent nonneoplastic renal parenchyma, were used for immunohistochemical analysis with affinity purified antibodies to human LRAT protein.

RESULTS: LRAT protein was detected at high levels in the epithelial cells in the tubules and the lining of Bowman's capsule in the glomeruli of normal, nonneoplastic kidney sections. Among the 31 tumors, there were 13 cases of conventional (clear cell) renal cell carcinoma (RCC; including 2 multilocular cystic RCCs), 7 papillary RCC, 6 chromophobe RCC, 1 RCC, unclassified, and 4 renal oncocytoma. All tumors showed diffuse immunoreactivity for LRAT. In each case, the staining was uniform throughout the tumor, with only minimal variation in the staining intensity between different areas. All 4 renal oncocytomas, 2 of 6 chromophobe RCCs, 1 conventional (clear cell) carcinoma, 1 RCC, unclassified, and 2 conventional RCCs, which were of the multilocular cystic-type stained strongly (3+) for LRAT. In contrast, the remaining conventional RCCs and the papillary RCC samples stained much less intensely for LRAT. Of the 10 tumors that stained 3+ for LRAT in the study, 9 were either benign tumors or tumors with low malignant potential.

CONCLUSIONS: These data show that LRAT expression is higher in renal tumors with an indolent biological behavior. Additional studies will ascertain if LRAT possesses any prognostic or therapeutic role in renal cancer.