Aggressive human neuroblastomas show a massive increase in the numbers of autophagic vacuoles and damaged mitochondria.
Autophagy is activated in cancer cells in response to multiple stresses and has been demonstrated to promote tumor cell survival and drug resistance in neuroblastoma (NB). This study was conducted to analyze the ultrastructural features of peripheral neuroblastic tumors (pNTs) and identify the relation of the types of NTs, the proliferation rate, and MYCN gene amplification with a number of autophagic vacuoles. Our results indicate that aggressive human NBs show a massive increase in the number of autophagic vacuoles associated with proliferation rate and that alteration of the mitochondria might be an important factor for the induction of autophagy in NTs.
a Mother and Child Health Care Institute of Serbia "Dr Vukan Cupic ," Belgrade , Serbia.
Gordana
G
Samardzija
b School of Medicine , University of Belgrade , Belgrade , Serbia.
Tamara Kravic
TK
Stevovic
a Mother and Child Health Care Institute of Serbia "Dr Vukan Cupic ," Belgrade , Serbia.
Slavisa
S
Djuricic
a Mother and Child Health Care Institute of Serbia "Dr Vukan Cupic ," Belgrade , Serbia.
Dragomir
D
Djokic
a Mother and Child Health Care Institute of Serbia "Dr Vukan Cupic ," Belgrade , Serbia.
Marina
M
Djurisic
b School of Medicine , University of Belgrade , Belgrade , Serbia.
Darko
D
Ciric
b School of Medicine , University of Belgrade , Belgrade , Serbia.
Tamara
T
Martinovic
b School of Medicine , University of Belgrade , Belgrade , Serbia.
Vladimir
V
Bumbasirevic
a Mother and Child Health Care Institute of Serbia "Dr Vukan Cupic ," Belgrade , Serbia.|b School of Medicine , University of Belgrade , Belgrade , Serbia.
Dragana
D
Vujic
D000293:Adolescent; D000071182:Autophagosomes / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D000071447:N-Myc Proto-Oncogene Protein / Q000235:genetics; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D014617:Vacuoles / Q000648:ultrastructure
C459801:MYCN protein, human; D000071447:N-Myc Proto-Oncogene Protein
Altered mitochondria; MYCN; autophagic vacuoles; peripheral neuroblastic tumors; ultrastructural morphometry