Endocrine Abstracts

Iodide uptake via the sodium iodide symporter (NIS) is reduced in many thyroid cancers, resulting in poor prognosis following treatment with 131I. The pituitary tumor transforming gene (PTTG) and its binding factor (PBF) are proto-oncogenes implicated in thyroid tumourigenesis and we previously demonstrated PTTG and PBF-induced repression of NIS in vitro. We have recently generated murine transgenic models of targeted overexpression of PBF and PTTG in the thy...

PBF is a proto-oncogene implicated in the aetiology of thyroid cancer. PBF binds to several proteins, including PTTG and NIS, but its full function is unknown. Understanding the range of interactions PBF has within thyroid cells is therefore vital; these were explored by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), which relies on the predictable fragmentation pattern of an amino acid chain to identify the exact proteins present in a sample.K1 and TPC1 papillary th...

The human pituitary tumor transforming gene (hPTTG) plays important roles in tumourigenesis through its function as a securin and by interaction with the tumour suppressor gene p53. We have previously indentified hPTTG expression as a prognostic indicator for differentiated thyroid cancer. We recently generated a transgenic mouse model overexpressing hPTTG targeted to the thyroid gland via a thyroglobulin promoter to delineate PTTG effects on thyroid tumourigenesis in vivo<...

PTTG binding factor (PBF) is a poorly characterised transforming gene that is overexpressed in thyroid tumours and inhibits the activity of the sodium iodide symporter (NIS) in vitro. Our recent investigations demonstrated that PBF mRNA expression was 2.6-fold higher in thyroid tissue excised from patients with multinodular goitres (MNG) than in normal thyroid tissue (n=25, P<0.01). We have now generated a murine transgenic model of targeted overexpres...

The human pituitary tumor transforming gene (hPTTG) is overexpressed in thyroid cancers; it induces genetic instability and propagates growth through the induction of growth factors. We set out to investigate the autocrine and paracrine pathways of interaction between hPTTG and epidermal growth factor (EGF), transforming growth factor-α (TGF-α) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) in vitro and in vivo. Synchronised K1 papillary thyroid carcinoma cell...

Ablative therapy for thyroid cancer depends upon the adequate uptake of radioiodine via the sodium iodide symporter (NIS). However, thyroid tumours frequently show reduced iodide uptake, impacting on prognosis. We previously demonstrated that the proto-oncogene PBF binds NIS and modulates its subcellular localisation. We now demonstrate that PBF binds the thyroid hormone transporter MCT8 in GST-pulldown assays, and alters MCT8 subcellular localisation in vitro. To inves...

The pituitary tumor transforming gene-binding factor (PBF) is a poorly characterised gene that is over expressed in pituitary and thyroid tumours. Recently we showed that subcutaneous expression of PBF elicits tumours in nude mice, and expression correlates with thyroid tumour recurrence in man. Given the established role of ionising radiation in thyroid tumourigenesis we have now investigated the relationship between PBF and the tumour suppressor protein p53. Initially, we de...

Introduction: Catecholamine-secreting tumours derived from the adrenal medulla and the nodes of the autonomic nervous system are known as pheochromocytomas or paragangliomas, respectively. Although their clinical manifestations are similar, their differentiation is important from an epidemiological and prognostic point of view and their possibility of being associated with genetic syndromes.Case report: We present a case of a 16 year old patient, with no...

Metformin has recently emerged as a potential therapeutic tool for different tumour pathologies, including prostate cancer (PCa)1, one of the leading causes of cancer-deaths in men worldwide. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the antitumor effects of metformin in PCa are not fully elucidated. In this context, previous reports have suggested a relationship between metformin and the process of alternative splicing in some cell-types. Nevertheless, the poten...

Objectives: To assess whether the degree of heterogeneity of thyroid nodules defined by their elastographic characteristics is related to the cytological diagnosis and ultrasound classification of risk of malignancy.Material and Methods: Observational, prospective study. 101 thyroid nodules were analysed by quantitative elastographic analysis (shear-wave), measuring the stiffness of the lesion by global elastography and its standard deviation (s.d.</...