Pathogenesis of desmoplasia. I. Immunofluorescence identification and localization of some structural proteins of line 1 and line 10 guinea pig tumors and of healing wounds.

The structural proteins of the scirrhous line 1 and the medullary line 10 bile duct carcinomas, both syngeneic in strain 2 Sewall-Wright inbred guinea pigs, were studied. Tumor structural proteins were compared with those of healing wounds. A provisional stromal matrix of cross-linked fibrin and fibronectin was initially deposited in both tumors and wounds and was subsequently replaced by granulation tissue containing collagen types I and III. The amounts of stromal fibrin-fibronectin and collagen were characteristic of each tumor: Line 1 contained significantly greater amounts than line 10. These differences were augmented when line 1 tumor rejection was prevented with cyclosporine, permitting time for stromal maturation. In tumors and wounds laminin and collagen type IV were found only in basement membranes. The findings suggest that 1) tumor desmoplasia is analogous to wound healing, 2) both processes involve replacement of an antecedent fibrin-fibronectin provisional matrix, 3) the extent of fibrin-fibronectin is characteristic of each tumor, and 4) tumor desmoplasia correlates with the amount of fibrin-fibronectin matrix deposited.