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Telomerase and N‐Cadherin Differential Importance in Adrenocortical Cancers and Adenomas
Author(s) -
Pereira Sofia S.,
Máximo Valdemar,
Coelho Ricardo,
Batista Rui,
Soares Paula,
Guerreiro Susana G.,
SobrinhoSimões Manuel,
Monteiro Mariana P.,
Pignatelli Duarte
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of cellular biochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.028
H-Index - 165
eISSN - 1097-4644
pISSN - 0730-2312
DOI - 10.1002/jcb.25811
Subject(s) - telomerase , adrenocortical carcinoma , cadherin , telomerase reverse transcriptase , biology , adrenocortical adenoma , adrenal cortex , cancer research , pathology , adenoma , microbiology and biotechnology , medicine , endocrinology , cell , gene , genetics
Adrenocortical carcinomas (ACC) are most frequently highly aggressive tumors. We assessed the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and N‐cadherin role in the biology of ACC and their potential utility as molecular biomarkers, in different types of tumoral adrenocortical tissue. A total of 48 adrenal cortex samples (39 tumoral and 9 normal adrenal glands) were studied. TERT promoter mutations were searched by PCR and Sanger sequencing in two hotspots positions (−124 and −146). Also, telomerase and N‐cadherin expression were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. TERT promoter mutations were not detected in any of the samples either malignant or benign. Telomerase nuclear expression was present in 26.6% of ACC and in 45.5% of non‐functioning adenomas. It was absent in benign Cushing's lesions and in normal adrenal glands. Contrarily, N‐cadherin was always expressed in the cellular membranes of benign adenomas or normal adrenals but no expression was detected in the majority of ACC. Nuclear telomerase and membrane N‐cadherin expression were positively correlated in ACCs. We conclude that in ACC, the loss of N‐cadherin is a frequent phenomenon while the existence of TERT promoter mutations is not and nuclear telomerase expression is present in only a minority of cases. Since the loss of N‐cadherin expression was identified in both high and low proliferative ACC, this marker should be considered important for diagnostic application. Our study also suggests the existence of a TERT non‐canonical function in cell adhesion. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 2064–2071, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.