CD10 – Antibody Lexicon

Synonyms: Common acute lymphoblastic leukemia antigen (CALLA), neprilysin, neutral endopeptidase

by Assia Bassarova

Background

CD10 is a single-chain cell surface glycoprotein, which is a zink-dependent peptidase (metalloprotease), degrading various bioactive peptides. It participates in the post-secretory processing of neuropeptides, inactivates inflammatory and vasoactive peptides.
CD10 is present on the cell surface of bone marrow stem cells and myelopoietic cells (including neutrophils), B-follicular center cells, few mature B-lymphocytes, and a subpopulation of follicular helper CD4+ T-lymphocytes. CD10 is also found in enterocytes in the upper gastro-intestinal tract (brush border), in liver (bile canaliculi), kidney (glomerular and proximal tubular cells), pulmonary alveolar cells, myoepithelial cells of breast and sweat and salivary glands, prostate glandular cells, placental trophoblastic cells, endometrial stromal cells, some endothelial cells, and a minority of (myo-)fibroblasts (including skin periadnexal cells). In apocrine metaplasia of the breast, CD10 is also detected in the glands.

Staining in normal tissues

It is widely distributed in kidney, liver, small intestines, placenta, choroid plexus, brain, gonads, adrenal cortex, leukocytes. CD10 is a marker for germinal center cells.

Staining in tumors

CD10 is expressed in most cases of precursor B lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma, follicular lymphoma and Burkitt lymphoma as well as a subset of cases of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with germinal center cell immunophenotype (about 40-50% of all DLBCL cases)
Weakly and variably expressed in most of the cases of angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, while peripheral T-cells lymphomas are CD10 negative.
Precursor T lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma may be CD10 positive.
Myeloid leukemias are almost always negative,
Non-haematolymphoid neoplasms: CD10 is found in almost all cases of endometrial stromal sarcoma, in most cases of hepatocellular carcinoma giving distinct canalicular pattern, renal cell carcinoma (clear cell and papillary types, but not chromophobe type), urothelial carcinoma (particularly high grade), prostate carcinoma, solid-pseudopapillary tumour of pancreas, and sporadically in colorectal carcinoma (associated with an aggressive growth pattern). In a number of breast carcinomas, the stromal cells around the infiltrating tumor cells express CD10 (which may signify a worse prognosis),
CD10 has also been detected in a varying proportion of rhabdomyosarcomas, leiomyosarcomas and other sarcomas, schwannoma and malignant melanoma.

Staining pattern

Moderate to strong, distinct membranous staining reaction.

Control tissue

Appendix – all follicular center cells in the secondary lymphoid follicles should show a distinct staining reaction.

Application

Sensitive but not specific marker useful in panel in several diagnostic situations.

CD10 is particularly useful in the classification of small cell B-cell lymphomas, diffuse large B-cell lymphomas and acute lymphoblastic leukemia,
It may be used for identification of hepatocellular carcinoma and renal cell carcinoma,
It may also be used in classification of uterine mesenchymal neoplasms (identification of stromal sarcoma).

by Assia Bassarova

Background

Staining in normal tissues

Staining in tumors

Staining pattern

Control tissue

Application

Selected references