Thyroid Cancer and MET Protein Expression
Author Information
Author(s): Scarpino S, Di Napoli A, Rapazzotti-Onelli M, Pilozzi E, Ruco L
Primary Institution: Università ‘La Sapienza’, Rome, Italy
Hypothesis
Is altered methylation status of the MET promoter involved in the abnormal expression of Met protein in papillary carcinoma?
Conclusion
The study found that the high expression of Met protein in papillary carcinoma is not due to altered methylation of the MET promoter.
Supporting Evidence
- Met protein is highly expressed in 100% of papillary carcinoma cases analyzed.
- No evidence of methylation was found in the analyzed CpGs of the MET promoter.
- Previous studies suggested that hypomethylation can lead to high expression of oncogenes.
Takeaway
This study looked at thyroid cancer and found that a protein called Met is very active in cancer cells, but its activity isn't caused by changes in DNA methylation.
Methodology
The study used immunohistochemistry to analyze Met protein expression and bisulphite-PCR for methylation analysis in thyroid tissue samples.
Limitations
The study only analyzed a limited number of cases for methylation status.
Participant Demographics
The study included 137 thyroid tissue samples, with a mean age of 45 years and a female to male ratio of 5:1 in papillary carcinoma cases.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website