title: Expression of P16 in NUT carcinomas with no association with human papillomavirus (HPV).
abstract: NUT carcinoma (NC) is a rare malignant neoplasm usually located in the midline, including the upper aerodigestive tract. NC is an aggressive and highly lethal type of carcinoma. It is defined by the rearrangement of the nuclear protein in the testis (NUT) gene on chromosome 15q14. In most cases, the NUT is involved in a balanced translocation with the BRD4 gene on chromosome 19p13.1, an event that creates a BRD4-NUT fusion gene. The relationship between the human papillomavirus (HPV), p16, and upper aerodigestive tract cancer has been long postulated. In this study, we evaluated the relationship of the p16 expression in 4 cases of NCs and its eventual association with HPV. All 4 cases presented typical histopathologic findings with nuclear positivity of the NUT protein and strong expression for p16. None of these cases, however, showed an association with HPV evaluated by polymerase chain reaction. Despite the expression of p16, this negative result for HPV indicates that HPV infection probably does not play a role in the pathogenesis of NC.
authors.affiliation: *Instituto Mario Penna and Biocor Instituto, Belo Horizonte, MG †Consultoria em Patologia, Botucatu, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paulo Guilherme de Oliveira
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Salles
authors.forename: Rafael de Deus
authors.initials: Rde D
authors.lastname: Moura
authors.forename: Letícia M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Menezes
authors.forename: Carlos E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Bacchi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D019941:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008479:Mediastinal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D015513:Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D027383:Papillomaviridae
chemical_list: C000614131:CDKN2A protein, human; D019941:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16; C000630260:NUTM1 protein, human; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D015513:Oncogene Proteins