Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 13, 2026
Defining Gene Functions in Tumorigenesis by Ex vivo Ablation of Floxed Alleles in Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor Cells
Published on: August 25, 2021
Molecular determination of the malignant potential of smooth muscle neoplasms
1Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107, USA.
Background:
The determination of the malignant potential of smooth muscle neoplasms remains ambiguous, and yet has far reaching clinical, therapeutic, and social implications.
Methods:
In this pilot study, the authors examined smooth muscle isoactin gene expression by polymerase chain reaction in a variety of smooth muscle tumors.
Results:
A lack of gamma-smooth muscle isoactin gene expression correlated 100% with a pathologic diagnosis of sarcoma. These results suggest that gamma-smooth muscle isoactin gene expression represents a unique molecular marker of oncogenic transformation.
Conclusions:
gamma-Smooth muscle isoactin gene expression provides a valuable molecular adjunct to the diagnosis of smooth muscle neoplasms.
