Thyroid-bound Y-chromatin-like fluorescence in the nuclei of thyroid adenomas

Brilliantly fluorescent supernumerary chromocenters indistinguishable from the Y-chromatin have been often found electively in the thyroid nuclei. The authors compared the occurrence of this Y-chromatin-like fluorescence in 31 thyroid adenomas obtained from 30 autopsy cases (10 males, 20 females) with non-adenomatous thyroid tissues of the same cases. All adenomas had follicular structure but one with papillary structure. The frequency class of Y-chromatin-like fluorescence of adenomas was lower in 15 cases out of 31 than that of the same non-adenomatous thyroid tissue. The Y-chromatin-like fluorescence had a negative count in 13 cases of 31 adenomas but only in 3 cases of normal thyroid tissues from 30 persons. The disappearance of the nuclei with Y-chromatin-like chromocenters is supposedly connected with cellular dedifferentiation of thyroid adenomas.