title: Metallothionein 1G acts as an oncosupressor in papillary thyroid carcinoma.
abstract: The molecular pathogenesis of tumors arising from the thyroid follicular epithelial cells, including papillary (PTC) and follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC), is only partially understood, and the role of tumor suppressor genes has not yet been assessed. The metallothionein (MT) gene family encodes a class of metal-binding proteins involved in several cellular processes, and their expression is often deregulated in human tumors. Recently, downregulation of MT gene expression in PTC has been reported, suggesting a possible oncosuppressor role of this gene family in the pathogenesis of thyroid tumors. To further explore this possibility, we performed expression and functional studies. Analysis of microarray data of thyroid tumors of different histologic types showed that several MT genes were downregulated with respect to normal tissue. The microarray data were corroborated by quantitative PCR experiments, showing downregulation of MTs in PTC and FTC, but to a greater extent in papillary carcinoma. The expression of MTs was also investigated at the protein level by immunohistochemistry; the results were consistent with the microarray data, showing general downregulation in tumor samples, which was more evident in PTC. The functional consequence of MT downregulation was addressed employing an experimental model made of the PTC-derived K1 cell line in which MT1G expression is repressed by promoter methylation. Restoration of MT1G expression by cDNA transfection affected growth rate and in vivo tumorigenicity of K1 cells, indicating an oncosuppressor role for MT1G in thyroid papillary tumorigenesis.
authors.affiliation: Operative Unit Molecular Mechanisms of Cancer Growth and Progression, Department of Experimental Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ferrario
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lavagni
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gariboldi
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Miranda
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Losa
authors.forename: Loredana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cleris
authors.forename: Franca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Formelli
authors.forename: Silvana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pilotti
authors.forename: Marco A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Pierotti
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Greco
mesh_terms: D002277:Carcinoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D019175:DNA Methylation; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D015536:Down-Regulation; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008668:Metallothionein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D046228:Microarray Analysis; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D014162:Transfection; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; C499629:MT1G protein, human; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D008668:Metallothionein