Deregulation of D-type cyclins in uterine cancers. Cyclin D1/D3 is differentially expressed in cervical cancer.
BACKGROUND
We have previously found cyclin D1 to be overexpressed in 45% of corpus cancers, but in only 3% of cervical cancers. To see whether and how D-type cyclins contribute to the neoplastic phenotype in uterine cancers, aberrant expression and association between cyclins D1 and D3 proteins were studied.


METHODS
Expression of cyclin D3 was investigated by immunohistochemistry in 51 patients with primary cancer of the corpus and 73 cases of primary cervical carcinomas. Amplification of the cyclin D1 and D3 genes was investigated by fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH).


RESULTS
We found high/moderate levels of cyclin D3 in 53.5% of cervical cancers and 55% of corpus cancers. High/moderate expression of cyclin D1 and D3 was associated in the corpus cancers, but not in cervical cancers. The accumulation of cyclin D3 but not D1 protein could, in some cases, be explained by increased gene dosage since extra copies of chromosome 6 were found.


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrates that in cervical cancers cyclin D3 may compensate for low levels of cyclin D1, whereas in corpus cancers both isoforms may contribute to the neoplastic phenotype.
Skomedal
H
H
Department of Pathology, Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
Forus
A
A
Holm
R
R
D019938:Cyclin D1 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D056743:Cyclin D3; D016213:Cyclins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D018628:Gene Dosage; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000096:biosynthesis; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
C534696:CCND3 protein, human; D056743:Cyclin D3; D016213:Cyclins; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D019938:Cyclin D1