title: Bcl-2 and Bax expression in thyroid tumours. An immunohistochemical and western blot analysis.
abstract: Bcl-2 and Bax proteins, which are involved in repressing and promoting programmed cell death, respectively, have been investigated immunohistochemically and by Western blot analysis in a series of thyroid tumours. Three immunostaining patterns were identified. Benign lesions and well-differentiated thyroid carcinomas displayed a profile similar to that of normal follicular epithelium, in which Bcl-2 immunostaining was predominant. Thyroid carcinomas associated with an aggressive behaviour, such as the tall-cell variant of papillary carcinoma and the poorly differentiated carcinomas, co-expressed both proteins. Finally, anaplastic carcinomas expressed only the Bax protein. Western blot analyses revealed that the anti-Bcl-2 antibody recognized two bands, of molecular weights 21 kDa and 25 kDa. This was only seen in the tall-cell papillary carcinomas and in the anaplastic carcinomas.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Anatomic Pathology, University of Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Manetto
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lorenzini
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cordon-Cardo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Krajewski
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rosai
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Reed
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Eusebi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology; D015153:Blotting, Western / Q000379:methods; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; C494826:BAX protein, human; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein