Detection of Neuroblastoma Cells in the Bone Marrow with Immunohistochemical Staining of Neuron-Specific Enolase

Neuron-specific enolase (NSE) is an isoenzyme of the widely distributed glycolytic enzyme 2-phospho-D-glycerate hydrolase expressed by neuronal and neuronendocrine cells of the central and peripheral nervous system. Brain extract contains three forms (α, β, and γ) of enolase, and each form is a dimer of the combination of two distinct subunits α and γ. NSE consists of the two dimers containing subunits, that is, αγ and γγ, existing mainly in neuronal cells an dneuroendocrine cells. Immunohistochemistry and radioimmunoassay have shown NSE in serum from patients with various tumors including neuroblastoma (NB).3.4 In the current study we tried the immunohistochemical staining of the enzyme on the NB cells.