title: c-MYC and h-TERT co-expression in colon adenocarcinoma: a tissue microarray digitized image analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  c-MYC oncogene is frequently deregulated by amplification in colon adenocarcinoma. c-MYC also activates telomerase by inducing expression of its catalytic subunit (h-TERT). Furthermore, telomerase activation plays a crucial role in tumorigenesis by sustaining cellular immortality. Our aim was to evaluate the significance of c-MYC and h-TERT co-expression in colon adenocarcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty paraffin embedded primary colon adenocarcinomas were cored at 1.5 mm diameter and transferred to one microarray block. Immunohistochemistry was performed using anti-h-TERT, and c - MYC antibodies. A quantitative digitized macro was performed to evaluate their expression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  c-MYC and h-TERT overexpression was observed in 27 (45%) and 28 (46.6%) cases, respectively. Co-over expression of those genes was observed in 17 (28.3%) cases and found to be statistically significant (p=0.001). The results also showed a strong association between c-MYC and grade of differentiation of the examined neoplasms (p=0.0217rpar;.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Simultaneous c-MYC and h-TERT deregulation is a relatively frequent genetic event in colon adenocarcinoma. Because c-MYC overexpression is correlated with progressive disease - due to colon adenocarcinoma dedifferentiation - inhibition of its activity combined with h-TERT regulated expression is a new target for novel therapeutic regimens.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, General Hospital of Thiva, Thiva, Greece.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Georgakopoulos
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tsiambas
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Korkolopoulos
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Korkolopoulou
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kavantzas
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Karameris
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ragkos
authors.forename: D N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Rigopoulos
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vilaras
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Patsouris
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Athanasiou
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tatsiou
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Patsouris
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D001706:Biopsy; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D016612:Paraffin Embedding; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / Q000032:analysis*; D019098:Telomerase / Q000032:analysis*; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C489427:MYC protein, human; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc; C509186:TERT protein, human; D019098:Telomerase