Identification of somatic TERT promoter mutations in familial nonmedullary thyroid carcinomas.

Objective: The genes causing familial nonmedullary thyroid carcinoma (FNMTC) identified to date are only involved in a small fraction of the families. Recently, somatic mutations in TERT promoter region and in EIF1AX gene were reported in thyroid tumours of undefined familial status. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of TERT and EIF1AX mutations in familial thyroid tumours.

Conventional and molecular cytogenetics of human non-medullary thyroid carcinoma: characterization of eight cell line models and review of the literature on clinical samples.

Background: Cell lines are often poorly characterized from a genetic point of view, reducing their usefulness as tumor models. Our purpose was to assess the genetic background of eight commonly used human thyroid carcinoma models and to compare the findings with those reported for primary tumors of the gland.

Methods: We used chromosome banding analysis and comparative genomic hybridization to profile eight non-medullary thyroid carcinoma cell lines of papillary (TPC-1, FB2, K1 and B-CPAP), follicular (XTC-1) or anaplastic origin (8505C, C643 and HTH74).

Hypermethylation of Cyclin D2 is associated with loss of mRNA expression and tumor development in prostate cancer.

D-type cyclins play a pivotal role in cell cycle regulation and their abnormal expression was associated with several human malignancies. To assess Cyclin D2 promoter methylation status and expression levels in prostate tissues, quantitative methylation-specific PCR and quantitative reverse transcription PCR assays were performed in a large series of prostate carcinomas, high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasias (HGPIN), benign prostate hyperplasias (BPH), normal prostate tissue (NPT) samples, and prostate cancer (PCa) cell lines (before and after demethylating treatment). Methylation levels were correlated with mRNA expression levels and key clinicopathologic parameters.