c -MYC amplification and expression in astrocytic tumors
Mário Henrique Faria1, André Salim Khayat, Rommel Rodríguez Burbano
1Molecular Genetics Laboratory, LABGEM, Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, Federal University of Ceará, Rua Alexandre Baraúna s/n, Campus do Porangabussu, Fortaleza, CE, 60.431-970, Brazil. mariofaria@doctor.com
Acta Neuropathologica
|March 29, 2008
Summary
The oncogene c-MYC protein expression and gene amplification increase with astrocytic tumor grade. This suggests c-MYC plays a role in early astrocytoma development.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- The c-MYC oncogene is frequently dysregulated in human cancers.
- Its role in astrocytic tumors, particularly concerning gene amplification and protein expression across different grades, requires further elucidation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the nuclear and cytoplasmic expression of c-MYC protein in human astrocytic tumors.
- To correlate c-MYC protein expression with c-MYC gene amplification across various histopathological grades.
Main Methods:
- Immunohistochemistry was used to assess c-MYC protein expression in 140 astrocytic tumors.
- Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was employed to analyze c-MYC gene amplification in 30 of these tumors.
Main Results:
- c-MYC protein expression (nuclear and cytoplasmic) was detected in a majority of astrocytic tumors and increased with tumor grade.
- c-MYC gene amplification, assessed by FISH, showed an inverse correlation with tumor grade, while increased copy numbers correlated with higher malignancy.
- Nuclear c-MYC expression levels were associated with c-MYC gene copy number.
Conclusions:
- c-MYC protein expression in astrocytic tumors is significantly linked to increased c-MYC gene copy number.
- These findings suggest that c-MYC is involved in the early stages of astrocytoma tumorigenesis.
Related Concept Videos
01:06Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that divide and produce different cell types. Ordinarily, cells that have differentiated into a specific cell type are terminally differentiated; however, scientists have found a way to reprogram these mature cells so that they dedifferentiate and return to an unspecialized, proliferative state. These cells are pluripotent like embryonic stem cells—able to produce all cell types—and are called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
Somatic cells are...
Somatic cells are...
03:03mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
The mTOR pathway or the...
02:23Abnormal Proliferation
Under normal conditions, most adult cells remain in a non-proliferative state unless stimulated by internal or external factors to replace lost cells. Abnormal cell proliferation is a condition in which the cell's growth exceeds and is uncoordinated with normal cells. In such situations, cell division persists in the same excessive manner even after cessation of the stimuli, leading to persistent tumors. The tumor arises from the damaged cells that replicate to pass the damage to the daughter...