Expression of the prothymosin alpha mRNA correlated with that of N-myc in neuroblastoma.
Neuroblastoma is the most common malignant solid cancers in early childhood. Overexpression of the proto-oncogene, N-myc, has been reported to be correlated with more malignant course of the disease. Prothymosin alpha, a cellular proliferation-associated gene, is reported to be a target of myc and elevated in several malignant cells and tissues. Expression of prothymosin alpha and N-myc messenger RNAs were evaluated by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay in 18 tumor samples from neuroblastoma using LightCycler. The data was analyzed in reference to clinicopathological factors. There was a tendency that higher prothymosin alpha transcripts levels in the tumor samples from younger patients (<1year.) when compared to the older group (>1 year.) (P=0.0845). There was no relationship between prothymosin alpha gene expression and gender (P=0.3029), mass screening case or not (P=0.3007), or stage. The prothymosin alpha mRNA expression levels were correlated with N-myc mRNA levels (P=0.006). Thus we suggest that prothymosin alpha plays an active role as a target of N-myc in neuroblastoma.
Sasaki
H
H
Department of Surgery II, Nagoya City University Medical School, Kawasumi 1, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, 467-8601, Nagoya, Japan. hisasaki@med.nagoya-cu.ac.jp
Sato
Y
Y
Kondo
S
S
Fukai
I
I
Kiriyama
M
M
Yamakawa
Y
Y
Fujii
Y
Y
D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D016259:Genes, myc; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013947:Thymosin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*
C000715470:MAS1 protein, human; D011498:Protein Precursors; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C040782:prothymosin alpha; D013947:Thymosin