title: Human medullary thyroid carcinoma: a source and potential target for relaxin-like hormones.
abstract: We investigated the expression of H1, H2 relaxin and INSL-3, mRNA and protein, and LGR7 and LGR8 transcripts in human C-cell hyperplasia, primary medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) tissues, MTC metastases, and the human MTC-TT and mouse MTC-M cell lines. Relaxin-like peptide hormones were detected in C-cell hyperplasia and in MTC tissues, but were absent in human normal parafollicular C-cells of benign goiter tissues. In contrast to calcitonin, mRNA, and immunoreactive protein, no differences in the expression of relaxin and INSL3 were observed in MTC tissues of different pTNM classification or between primary and metastatic MTC tissues studied. All MTC tissues constitutively expressed LGR7 and LGR8 transcripts. Thus, relaxin-like hormones appear to be present early during C-cell hyperplasia and potentially functional relaxin/INSL3 ligand-receptor systems are present in human MTC tissues and in MTC cell lines.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Science, University of Manitoba, Faculty of Medicine, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3E 0W3, Canada. klonisch@cc.umanitoba.ca
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Klonisch
authors.forename: Tarek
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mustafa
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bialek
authors.forename: Yvonne
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Radestock
authors.forename: Hans-Jürgen
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Holzhausen
authors.forename: Henning
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dralle
authors.forename: Cuong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hoang-Vu
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hombach-Klonisch
mesh_terms: D018276:Carcinoma, Medullary / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D012065:Relaxin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D012065:Relaxin