Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 22, 2025

Author Spotlight: Finding New Therapeutic Targets for Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor Through Genome-Scale shRNA Screens
Published on: August 25, 2023
MYC and TP53 Alterations but Not MAPK Pathway Mutations Are Common Oncogenic Mechanisms in Follicular Dendritic Cell
Gerard Frigola1,2, Marco Bühler1,2,3, Marta Marginet1
1From the Department of Pathology, Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain (Frigola, Bühler, Marginet, Alamo, Aldecoa, Campo, Balagué).
Context.—:
Despite their stromal origin, follicular dendritic cells (FDCs) share many functions with hematopoietic system cells. FDC neoplasms are currently classified by the World Health Organization along with those of a histiocytic nature. However, the molecular alterations driving oncogenesis in FDC sarcomas (FDCSs) are beginning to be unveiled and do not seem to concur with those described in histiocytic neoplasms, namely MAPK pathway activation.
Objective.—:
To identify molecular alterations driving tumorigenesis in FDCS.
Design.—:
We investigated the role of MYC and TP53 in FDC-derived tumor oncogenesis and assessed comprehensively the status of the MAPK pathway in 16 FDCSs, 6 inflammatory pseudotumor (IPT)-like FDCSs, and 8 IPTs.
Results.—:
MYC structural alterations (both amplifications and rearrangements) were identified in 5 of 14 FDCSs (35.7%), all associated with MYC overexpression. TP53 mutations were identified in 4 of 14 FDCSs (28.6%), all of which displayed intense and diffuse p53 expression. None of these alterations were identified in any IPT-like FDCSs or in IPT cases. No MAPK pathway gene alterations were identified in any of the cases studied.
Conclusions.—:
The presence of MYC and TP53 alterations and the lack of association with Epstein-Barr virus segregate classical FDCS from IPT-like FDCS, pointing at different oncogenic mechanisms in both entities. Our results suggest a possible oncogenic role of MYC and TP53 alterations in FDCS. The absence of MAPK pathway alterations confirms the lack of a significant role of this pathway in the oncogenesis of FDC-derived neoplasms.
Related Concept Videos
Abnormal Proliferation
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mTOR pathway or the...
The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Somatic...
Cancers Originate from Somatic Mutations in a Single Cell
Interactions Between Signaling Pathways
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...

