title: Medullary thyroid carcinomas in cell culture--models for future therapies.
abstract: We report the successful establishment of seven human medullary thyroid carcinomas (MTC) as continuous cell lines. Characteristic features--such as the presence of neuroendocrine granules--and the positive immunoreactivity to antibodies to CT, CGRP, GRP, SRIF, 5-HT, NSE, PHE, LK2H10, ER and Pgr were followed throughout the cultivation. An overexpression of the antiapoptotic gene bcl-2 was detected in the cell lines. Deregulation of apoptosis plays an important role in multistep tumorigenesis. MTCs are known for the phenomenon of bcl-2-based chemo- and radioresistance. Our studies focus on influencing the growth rates and modulating the apoptotic rates by treatment with proliferation-modifying substances and anticancer drugs. Our MTC cell lines are useful models for these in vitro studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology, Karl-Franzens University, Graz, Austria. pfragner@kfunigraz.ac.at
authors.forename: Roswitha
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pfragner
authors.forename: Gerhard H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Wirnsberger
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ingolic
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Niederle
mesh_terms: D018276:Carcinoma, Medullary / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000235:genetics; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D014410:Tumor Stem Cell Assay
chemical_list: D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2