BACKGROUND: Merkel cell carcinomas (MCC) are very aggressive tumors of the sun-exposed skin with a high potential to metastasize. Little is known about the genesis of MCC and very few prognostic markers have been detected so far. The Wnt pathway protein β-catenin and the cell cycle protein cyclin D1 are two promotors of tumor growth and are expressed in a variety of malignant neoplasms such as lymphomas, thyroid, breast cancer, and many others. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Tissue samples of 27 patients with MCC were immunohistochemically stained for β-catenin and cyclin D1 and correlated with overall survival of patients. In addition, western blot analysis was carried out in the two MCC cell lines MCC-13 and MCC-26. RESULTS: β-catenin showed a cytoplasmatic expression of 10-30 % in 11 samples and an expression lower than 10 % in eight samples. Nuclear staining was visible in two samples. None of the 27 samples expressed cyclin D1. CONCLUSION: Neither cyclin D1 nor β-catenin was expressed in a statistically significant manner, concluding that the development of MCCs is independent of β-catenin and cyclin D1 expression and these proteins are not suitable as prognostic markers. We could describe the expression pattern of cyclin D1 for the first time.
BACKGROUND:Merkel cell carcinomas (MCC) are very aggressive tumors of the sun-exposed skin with a high potential to metastasize. Little is known about the genesis of MCC and very few prognostic markers have been detected so far. The Wnt pathway protein β-catenin and the cell cycle protein cyclin D1 are two promotors of tumor growth and are expressed in a variety of malignant neoplasms such as lymphomas, thyroid, breast cancer, and many others. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Tissue samples of 27 patients with MCC were immunohistochemically stained for β-catenin and cyclin D1 and correlated with overall survival of patients. In addition, western blot analysis was carried out in the two MCC cell lines MCC-13 and MCC-26. RESULTS: β-catenin showed a cytoplasmatic expression of 10-30 % in 11 samples and an expression lower than 10 % in eight samples. Nuclear staining was visible in two samples. None of the 27 samples expressed cyclin D1. CONCLUSION: Neither cyclin D1 nor β-catenin was expressed in a statistically significant manner, concluding that the development of MCCs is independent of β-catenin and cyclin D1 expression and these proteins are not suitable as prognostic markers. We could describe the expression pattern of cyclin D1 for the first time.
Authors: Roland Houben; Masahiro Shuda; Rita Weinkam; David Schrama; Huichen Feng; Yuan Chang; Patrick S Moore; Jürgen C Becker Journal: J Virol Date: 2010-05-05 Impact factor: 5.103
Authors: Helen Davies; Graham R Bignell; Charles Cox; Philip Stephens; Sarah Edkins; Sheila Clegg; Jon Teague; Hayley Woffendin; Mathew J Garnett; William Bottomley; Neil Davis; Ed Dicks; Rebecca Ewing; Yvonne Floyd; Kristian Gray; Sarah Hall; Rachel Hawes; Jaime Hughes; Vivian Kosmidou; Andrew Menzies; Catherine Mould; Adrian Parker; Claire Stevens; Stephen Watt; Steven Hooper; Rebecca Wilson; Hiran Jayatilake; Barry A Gusterson; Colin Cooper; Janet Shipley; Darren Hargrave; Katherine Pritchard-Jones; Norman Maitland; Georgia Chenevix-Trench; Gregory J Riggins; Darell D Bigner; Giuseppe Palmieri; Antonio Cossu; Adrienne Flanagan; Andrew Nicholson; Judy W C Ho; Suet Y Leung; Siu T Yuen; Barbara L Weber; Hilliard F Seigler; Timothy L Darrow; Hugh Paterson; Richard Marais; Christopher J Marshall; Richard Wooster; Michael R Stratton; P Andrew Futreal Journal: Nature Date: 2002-06-09 Impact factor: 49.962