title: Transcription factor AP2alpha (TFAP2a) regulates differentiation and proliferation of neuroblastoma cells.
abstract: Neuroblastoma, the most common extracranial solid tumour of childhood, is derived from neural crest progenitor cells. The TFAP2a transcription factor regulates neural crest patterning. We analysed TFAP2a protein expression in 97 primary neuroblastic tumors and report that TFAP2a was strongly expressed in poorly differentiated neuroblastomas. TFAP2a expression in tumor cells of differentiated neuroblastic tumors was below detection. TFAP2a was strongly expressed in 4 of 6 neuroblastoma cell lines tested, and TFAP2a siRNA mediated knock down in SH-EP cells reduced proliferation and induced a more differentiated phenotype associated with an increase in the expression of the differentiation marker neurotensin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, University Children's Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany. johannes.schulte@uni-due.de
authors.forename: Johannes H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Schulte
authors.forename: Jutta
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kirfel
authors.forename: Soyoung
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schramm
authors.forename: Nicolaus
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Friedrichs
authors.forename: Hedwig E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Deubzer
authors.forename: Olaf
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Witt
authors.forename: Angelika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eggert
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Buettner
mesh_terms: D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000473:pathology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D050656:Transcription Factor AP-2 / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; C493673:TFAP2A protein, human; D050656:Transcription Factor AP-2