title: Upregulation of glucosylceramide synthase protein in papillary thyroid carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Glucosylceramide synthase (GCS) can reduce ceramide levels and help cells escape ceramide-induced apoptosis, thus leading to multidrug resistance (MDR). However, its expression and clinical significance in thyroid neoplasms still remain unclear. We aimed to elucidate the expression of GCS and explore its correlation with the clinicopathological characteristics in papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs).
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively investigated GCS protein expression level in tissue specimens obtained from 108 consecutive PTC patients by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  GCS was weakly positive or negative in normal follicular cells, but it was frequently overexpressed in PTC cells. GCS overexpression was associated with primary tumor size, local infiltration, lymph node metastasis, and local recurrence, but not associated with gender, age, pathological variants, tumor multifocality, tumor stage or distant metastasis. Western blotting also showed that GCS protein levels were much higher in PTCs' tissues than in normal thyroid tissues.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  GCS was upregulated in PTCs and might be an independent factor affecting prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250021, China.
authors.forename: Ke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250014, China.
authors.forename: Ying-Hua
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250021, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Yan
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250021, China. Email: wangqiangxiu@163.com.
authors.forename: Qiang-Xiu
authors.initials: QX
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasonography, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250021, China.
authors.forename: Hua-Wei
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250021, China.
authors.forename: Jia-Wen
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000201:enzymology*; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary; D005260:Female; D005964:Glucosyltransferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D000077273:Thyroid Cancer, Papillary; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology*; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D005964:Glucosyltransferases; C023246:ceramide glucosyltransferase