Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0027819 (neuroblastoma)
 27,800 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Neuroblastoma (NB), the most common extracranial cancer in childhood, exhibits neuroendocrine (NE) differentiation. Two well-established NE markers, chromogranin A (CgA) and synaptophysin (syn), are used in the histopathological diagnostics. Our aims were to explore if the NE markers synaptic vesicle protein 2 (SV2) and vesicular monoamine transporter 1 (VMAT1) and 2 (VMAT2) also are expressed in human NB and if so, evaluate their usefulness in NB histopathological diagnostics. Tumor specimens from 21 NB patients, before and/or after chemotherapy, were immunostained for CgA, syn, SV2, VMAT1, and VMAT2. Clinical data was extracted from patients' records. SV2 was highly expressed in NB, as was CgA while syn was less frequently expressed compared to the other two. Both VMATs were expressed in several NB, VMAT2 in more cases than VMAT1 and its expression was similar to syn. Chemotherapy did not affect the immunoreactivity in an obvious way. SV2 was highly expressed in NB and can thus be useful marker in NB diagnostics. VMAT1 and VMAT2 were also expressed in NB but similar to syn less reliable as tumor markers.
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PMID:Synaptic Vesicle Protein 2 and Vesicular Monoamine Transporter 1 and 2 Are Expressed in Neuroblastoma. 3131 76

Recent development of imaging tools such as computed tomography, ultrasonography, and magnetic resonance imaging have incidentally discovered hormonally functioning or nonfunctioning adrenal tumors. Most adrenal medullary tumors are pheochromocytomas and neuroblastoma group tumors. They are representative of neuroendocrine tumors and can be diagnosed using neuroendocrine markers such as chromogranin A, synaptophysin, and neurofilament proteins. Catecholamine-synthesizing enzymes are also useful markers for these catecholamine-producing tumors. Both pheochromocytoma and neuroblastoma group tumors have cells that are immunohistochemicaJly positive for many peptide hormones including m-enkephalin, neuropeptide Y, somatostatin, vasoactive intestinal peptide, corticotropinreleasing hormone, adrenocorticotropic hormone, calcitonin, and calcitonin gene-related peptide, among others. The evidence for production of these hormones is confirmed by mRNA analysis using in situ hybridization or Northern blot hybridization and by measuring protein levels with radioimmunoassay. Only a limited number of patients, however, complain of clinical symptoms associated with excessive peptide hormone production such as watery diarrhea, hypokalemia, and achlorhydria syndrome or Cushing's syndrome. The monoclonal human neuroblastoma cell line (NB-1) is a good model by which to understand the mechanism of excessive hormone production. NB-1 cells are usually nonfunctioning, but when they are stimulated by cyclic adenosine monophosphate and phorbol ester, they become capable of production and release of many peptide hormones and undergo morphological changes in their endocrine features. Thus, microenvironmental change seems to be one of the factors regulating gene expression and hormone production. Some molecular studies of oncogenes and growth factors are reviewed to gain an understanding of cell differentiation and proliferation. Finally, several chromosomal abnormalities reported in multiple endocrine neoplasia are introduced as potential tumorigenic factors.
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PMID:Functioning and nonfunctioning adrenal medullary tumors. 3235 8


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