title: GLI1, CTNNB1 and NOTCH1 protein expression in a thymic epithelial malignancy tissue microarray.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Thymic epithelial tumors (TET) are rare. Wingless and INT (WNT), NOTCH and sonic hedgehog pathway interactions between thymocytes and thymic stroma are important to thymus and T-cell development. We analyzed a thymoma tissue microarray (TMA) for glioma associated oncogene homolog 1 (GLI1), NOTCH1 and catenin (cadherin-associated protein, beta 1) (CTNNB1) expression as surrogate markers of sonic hedgehog, NOTCH and WNT pathway activity.
  
  
  METHODS
  GLI1, NOTCH1 and CTNNB1 expression were assayed in a tissue microarray of 68 TET and eight benign thymus by fluorescent immunohistochemistry (AQUA) as surrogates for activity of the sonic hedgehog, NOTCH and WNT pathways respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No difference in tumor GLI1 (mean 201 vs. 211, p=0.31), CTNNB1 (mean 222 vs. 306, p=0.66) or NOTCH1 expression (mean 317 vs. 325, p=0.82) was noted between thymic tumor and benign thymus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  No evidence for preferential expression of GLI1, NOTCH1 or CTNNB1 was noted. High-throughput immunofluorescence using AQUA technology can help overcome limitations of small sample size and tissue heterogeneity when analyzing protein expression in thymic tumors.
authors: Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of California Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, U.S.A. Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, U.S.A. jonathan.riess@udmc.ucdavis.edu.
authors: Jonathan W
authors: JW
authors: Riess
authors: Department of Pathology, Division of Thoracic Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, U.S.A.
authors: Robert
authors: R
authors: West
authors: Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Translational Research Laboratories, Alberta Health Services and Southern Alberta Cancer Research Institute, Alberta, Canada.
authors: Michelle
authors: M
authors: Dean
authors: Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Translational Research Laboratories, Alberta Health Services and Southern Alberta Cancer Research Institute, Alberta, Canada.
authors: Alex C
authors: AC
authors: Klimowicz
authors: Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, U.S.A.
authors: Joel W
authors: JW
authors: Neal
authors: Department of Surgery, Division of Thoracic Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, U.S.A.
authors: Chuong
authors: C
authors: Hoang
authors: Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, U.S.A.
authors: Heather A
authors: HA
authors: Wakelee
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009375:Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D051881:Receptor, Notch1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D000071676:Zinc Finger Protein GLI1; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C495270:CTNNB1 protein, human; C400551:GLI1 protein, human; C497761:NOTCH1 protein, human; D051881:Receptor, Notch1; D014157:Transcription Factors; D000071676:Zinc Finger Protein GLI1; D051176:beta Catenin
keywords: Thymoma; beta-catenin; immunohistochemistry; notch; sonic hedgehog