title: Expression of galectin-1 in normal human thyroid gland and in differentiated and poorly differentiated thyroid tumors.
abstract: We previously reported that galectin-1 gene expression increases up to 100-fold in oncogene-transformed rat thyroid cells compared with their normal counterparts and that the relative mRNA levels correlate with the degree of malignancy. In the present study we investigated whether galectin-1 is differentially expressed in human thyroid neoplasms, which range from well-differentiated tumors to undifferentiated anaplastic carcinomas. We analyzed 74 human thyroid specimens of neoplastic, hyperproliferative and normal tissues and several tumor cell lines. Galectin-1 mRNA and protein levels were higher in 6 thyroid carcinoma-derived cell lines than in normal thyroid primary cultures and adenoma cells. Galectin-1 mRNA levels increased in 28/40 papillary carcinomas and in 6/7 anaplastic carcinomas compared with normal or hyperplastic thyroid. Conversely, galectin-1 expression was unaffected in follicular carcinomas and benign adenomas. Immunohistochemical analysis of normal thyroid and papillary carcinoma sections revealed a higher content of galectin-1 protein in neoplastic follicular cells than in normal cells.
authors.affiliation: Centro di Endocrinologia ed Oncologia Sperimentale del Consiglio Nazionale delle Richerche, Dipartimento di Biologia e Patologia Cellulare e Molecolare L. Califano, Università degli Studi di Napoli, Federico II, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chiariotti
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Berlingieri
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Battaglia
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Benvenuto
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Martelli
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Salvatore
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chiappetta
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Bruni
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fusco
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D037483:Galectin 1; D006388:Hemagglutinins / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D037102:Lectins / Q000032:analysis*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000737:chemistry*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D037483:Galectin 1; D006388:Hemagglutinins; D037102:Lectins