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Expression of RET in follicular cell‐derived tumors of the thyroid gland: Prevalence and implication of morphological type
Author(s) -
Inaba Michiko,
Umemura Shinobu,
Satoh Haruhiro,
Abe Yoshifumi,
Kurokawa Kiyoshi,
Sakai Hideto,
Osamura R. Yoshiyuki
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
pathology international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.73
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1440-1827
pISSN - 1320-5463
DOI - 10.1046/j.1440-1827.2003.01447.x
Subject(s) - pathology , laser capture microdissection , immunohistochemistry , adenoma , carcinogenesis , microdissection , oncogene , biology , thyroid , follicular cell , medullary carcinoma , thyroid carcinoma , cancer research , cell , medicine , cancer , gene expression , gene , cell cycle , endocrinology , biochemistry , genetics
Expression of the wild‐type RET proto‐oncogene has been observed in non‐medullary, follicular cell‐derived tumors (FCDT), but the relation with the histopathological features has not been fully demonstrated. To assess the expression of RET and protein products in relation to morphological types of FCDT, including follicular adenoma (FA), papillary carcinoma (PTC), follicular carcinoma (FTC) and anaplastic carcinoma (AnC), 58 non‐neoplastic and neoplastic samples using pathological paraffin sections by immunohistochemistry (IHC), reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) and laser capture microdissection (LCM) methods were analyzed. Expression of RET proto‐oncogene was detected in 27.3% of FCDT by IHC and 25.5% by RT‐PCR using a primer set at a regular break point. The present study also found higher expression ratios of RET in FA (50.0%) and the follicular variant of PTC (50.0%), in contrast to FTC (20.0%), ordinary PTC (20.0%) and poorly differentiated or AnC (14.3%) by RT‐PCR. One patient with PTC showed a discrepancy in the results by RT‐PCR using a different primer set at the C‐terminus of RET. The study found that the RET proto‐oncogene is often stimulated in FCDT, not only in PTC but also in follicular tumors (FA and FTC), and may contribute to tumorigenesis of these tumors.