Downregulation of miR-138 is associated with overexpression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase protein in human anaplastic thyroid carcinoma cell lines.

Alterations of several microRNA (miRNA) have been linked to cancer development and its biology. To search for unique miRNA that might play a role in the development of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC), we examined the expression of multiple miRNA and their functional effects on target genes in human thyroid carcinoma cell lines. We quantitatively evaluated the expression of multiple miRNA in 10 ATC and five papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) cell lines, as well as primary tumors from 11 thyroid carcinoma patients (three ATC and eight PTC), using the stem-loop-mediated reverse transcription real-time polymerase chain reaction method.

Infrequent mutation of the human envoplakin gene is closely linked to the tylosis oesophageal cancer locus in sporadic oesophageal squamous cell carcinomas.

Envoplakin (EVPL) is a member of the desmosomal plaque proteins attached to desmosomal cadherin and keratin filaments. The EVPL gene has been mapped to the tylosis oesophageal cancer (TOC) locus on chromosome 17q25, where it has been demonstrated to be frequently deleted in both familial and sporadic forms of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (OSC). In this study, we examined EVPL gene mutations in 10 OSC cell lines and 20 sporadic OSCs using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction single-strand conformational analysis (RT-PCR SSCP) followed by direct sequencing.