Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0027960 (mole)
 21,279 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Thirty-one naevus cell naevi, 30 dysplastic naevi and 12 fibromatous naevi were stained for the presence of p53 and Growth Arrest DNA Damage genes. All naevus cell naevi and fibromatous naevi were highly positive for GADD genes and negative for p53. Dysplastic naevi had significantly lower GADD34 and GADD153 expression as well as higher p53 expression in relation to the other naevi groups. The absence or decrease of GADD genes expression in naevus may indicate a potential malignant transformation.
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PMID:Growth arrest DNA damage gene expression in naevi. 1045 1

Squamous cell carcinoma of the skin and melanoma are the rare progeny of precancerous lesions that usually remain stable or regress. For SCC the sequence appears to include TP53 mutant clones in normal skin; dysplasia; carcinoma in situ; and SCC. When such lesions are contiguous, their TP53 mutations are consistent with a single clonal lineage. The set of TP53 mutations in tumours is more restricted than in precancers, suggesting additional selection. Melanoma lies at the end of a continuum including mole, dysplastic naevus, radial growth melanoma and vertical growth. The genetics of melanoma is less clear. Basal cell carcinomas seem to arise without a precancer and contain mutations in TP53 and PTCH. Childhood sunlight exposure directs the location and frequency of precancers. For melanoma, its effects on intermittently exposed body sites are superimposed on the effect at sites chronically exposed. SCC precancers and tumours, BCC tumours and melanoma cell lines contain UV induced mutations. Sun exposed skin of normal individuals contains thousands of small clones of TP53 mutated cells. Predisposition to sunlight induced precancer is a multigenic trait involving factors such as hair and skin color, DNA repair proficiency and mole type and number. These each contribute a relative risk on the order of two to four. Familial predisposition to dysplastic naevi carries a larger risk. The cell of origin for melanoma is uncontroversial, and the proposed hair follicle origin of BCC is consistent with the presence of stem cells in the bulge region. The origin of SCCs and the arrangement of interfollicular stem cell compartments are less clear. Clonal expansion of the initial mutated cell may also be driven by sunlight. When a mutation confers apoptosis resistance, as TP53 mutations do, subsequent UV exposure will be more likely to kill normal cells than mutants. The latter can expand into a clone, only one cell of which need be mutated again. Immunosuppressant drugs may have the same effect as UV, facilitating the clonal expansion of precancers. In the absence of exogenous influences, mutant clones and precancers tend to regress. There is little evidence that regression of precancers is immunological, though regression of melanoma appears to be. The chemotherapeutic agent 5-FU causes regression of dysplasias by removing initiated cells, perhaps by enhancing apoptosis. In contrast, retinoic acid temporarily suppresses clonal expansion. Most sunscreens are mutagenic, with as yet unknown consequences. Mice develop dysplasias and SCCs after UV irradiation. Initiation and clonal expansion of dysplasias is UV driven, but conversion to SCC and subsequent growth involve spontaneous events. With chemical carcinogens mice develop papillomas that usually regress and thus are precancers. Tumour promotion yields abundant low risk papillomas that contain Hras1 mutations but rarely progress to SCC. High risk papillomas are infrequent but do convert to SCC, particularly if re-treated with mutagens. Conversion to SCC is associated with TP53 mutations. The mechanisms of multiple mutation and clonal expansion observed in human and mouse systems, respectively, are beginning to converge into a coherent understanding of precancerous events in skin.
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PMID:Skin precancer. 1048 24

The etiology of malignant melanoma has been intensely studied over the last decade. Much of the recent work focuses on oncongenes and tumour suppressor genes and the role of apoptosis in melanoma. Loss of tumour suppressor proteins such as p16 has been documented in melanoma and correlates with tumour progression. Mutations in the tumour suppressor p53 have also been documented in melanoma. The proto-oncongene Bcl-2 encodes a protein that inhibits apoptosis. Bcl-2 is found in normal melanocytes and benign nevi. However, lower levels are seen in melanoma. To investigate the relationship between melanoma and nevi, in our Basic and Clinical Science section, Dr. Radhi examines the expression of p53, p16, and Bcl in malignant melanoma arriving in benign nevi. P53 immunoreactivity was found only in the malignant component, with no expression being seen in the benign components of the lesion. This suggests that this tumour suppressor gene is involved in the pathogenesis of melanoma.
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PMID:The etiology of malignant melanoma. 1057 55

We experienced a rare case of leptomeningeal melanomatosis. The proliferative activity and nuclear accumulation of p53 in this tumor were examined, since the relationship between this tumor type and growth has not yet been elucidated. A 33-year-old Japanese man was shown to have leptomeningeal melanomatosis with multiple cutaneous pigmented nevi. The autopsy findings showed the presence not only of benign diffuse melanosis of the leptomeninges but also of leptomeningeal melanomatosis in the subarachnoid space and brain parenchyma. In the brain parenchyma, the direct invasion of tumor cells from the subarachnoid space and Virchow-Robin spaces filled with melanoma cells were observed. Multiple hemorrhagic areas invaded by melanoma cells were also present. Immunohistochemical staining with a monoclonal antibody to melanoma cells showed positivity in the tumor cells. Proliferation analysis using the MIB-1 antibody demonstrated that the labeling index of tumor cells invading brain parenchyma (2.54%) was higher than that in other lesions of the inner (0.89%) and outer layer (0.76%) of the subarachnoid space. Nuclear accumulation of p53 protein was rarely seen in the tumor cells. We reported a case of leptomeningeal melanomatosis. Higher proliferative activity was found in invading cells of the brain parenchyma. Malignant transformation of the tumor did not appear to be associated with p53 gene mutation.
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PMID:Leptomeningeal melanomatosis with multiple cutaneous pigmented nevi: tumor cell proliferation and malignant transformation in an autopsy case. 1058 67

The nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome (NBCCS) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by nevi, palmar and plantar pits, falx calcification, vertebrate anomalies and basal cell carcinomas. It is well known in NBCCS that gamma-irradiation to the skin induces basal cell carcinomas or causes an enlargement of the tumor size, although the details of the mechanism remain unknown. We have established lymphoblastoid cell lines from three NBCCS patients, and we present here the first evidence of abnormal cell cycle and apoptosis regulations. A novel mutation (single nucleotide deletion) in the coding region of the human patched gene, PTCH, was identified in two sibling patients, but no apparent abnormalities were detected in the gene of the remaining patient. Nevertheless, the three established cell lines showed similar features in the following analyses. Flow cytometric analyses revealed that the NBCCS-derived cells were accumulated in the G2M phase after gamma-irradiation, whereas normal cells showed cell cycle arrest both in the G0G1 and G2M phases. The fraction of apoptotic cells after gamma-irradiation was smaller in the NBCCS cells. The level of p27 expression markedly decreased after gamma-irradiation in the NBCCS cells, although the effects of the irradiation on the expression profiles for p53, p21 and Rb did not differ in normal and NBCCS cells. These findings may provide a clue to the molecular mechanisms of tumorigenesis in NBCCS.
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PMID:Gamma-irradiation deregulates cell cycle control and apoptosis in nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome-derived cells. 1066 53

In order to understand the involvement of the p53 tumour suppressor gene in the pathogenesis of gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD), we investigated its genetic status, protein expression and its role in apoptosis in samples of complete and partial hydatidiform mole as compared with those of normal placenta. Direct sequencing of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products of the coding and non-coding regions of the p53 gene demonstrated no mutations in any of the studied samples. Immunohistochemical studies revealed increased expression of the p53 protein predominantly in the nuclei of villous cytotrophoblasts. This over-expression of p53 was found in all samples of complete mole, in 50 per cent of partial mole samples and in about 30 per cent of normal placenta cases, although no significant difference in the staining intensity and pattern was observed. An in situ detection of DNA nicking (TUNEL) staining, demonstrating apoptosis, was also detected predominantly in villous cytotrophoblasts and in stromal areas. The per centage of apoptotic cells in all studied samples, determined by flow cytometry, demonstrated a significant increase in apoptotic cells in samples of complete and partial hydatidiform mole compared with those of normal placenta (P< 0.0003 and P< 0.004, respectively). In conclusion, the current study may provide a possible explanation to the pathogenesis of GTD, probably associated with extensive p53-dependent apoptosis to modulate excessive trophoblastic proliferation.
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PMID:Expression of the p53 gene and apoptosis in gestational trophoblastic disease. 1069 52

Ki-67 labeling of paraffin sections has been correlated with the number of cells in non-G(o) phases of the replicative cell cycle, and this immunohistochemical technique has been applied to the evaluation of a variety of human neoplasms. Similarly, immunolabeling for p53 protein has been used to detect mutations in the corresponding gene, as a reflection of possible cellular transformation in the same context. Both of these techniques were applied to 253 melanocytic tumors of the skin to assess their possible utility in the diagnosis and subcategorization of such lesions. They included 76 banal (common) nevi (CN), 39 Spitz nevi (SN), 62 superficial spreading malignant melanomas in radial growth (SSMMs), 32 nodular malignant melanomas (NMMs), 21 lentigo maligna melanomas in radial growth (LMMs), and 23 melanomas arising in association with preexisting compound nevi (MCN). One hundred cells were counted randomly in each tumor, and dark, exclusively nuclear reactivity was scored as positive labeling; results were recorded as percentages. Negligible Ki-67 and p53 labeling was seen in CN and SN, at a level that was similar to that obtained in cases of LMM and MCN. The largest proportion of Ki-67-positive and p53-positive cells was observed in NMMs, followed by SSMMs. Radial growth-phase SSMMs and LMMs demonstrated immunoprofiles that were similar to those of melanocytic nevi, and MCN did so as well. The prototypical malignant melanocytic tumor representing the vertical growth phase-nodular melanoma--demonstrated a statistically significant difference from all other lesions in this study with respect to Ki-67 index (P = .008, chi2) and p53 reactivity (P < .000001, chi2). Subsequent concurrent use of a Ki-67 threshold index of 10% and a p53 index of 5% correctly indicated the presence of vertical growth in 75% of NMMs, whereas only 8% of radial growth phase melanomas of other types were colabeled at the same levels of reactivity for the two markers (P < .00001, chi2). Thus, although the distinction between benign and malignant melanocytic tumors could and should not be based on immunohistology for Ki-67 and p53, these results suggest that the latter determinants may, in fact, be used as an adjunct to morphology in the recognition of the vertical growth phase in cutaneous malignant melanomas.
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PMID:Concurrent Ki-67 and p53 immunolabeling in cutaneous melanocytic neoplasms: an adjunct for recognition of the vertical growth phase in malignant melanomas? 1075 31

Primary malignant melanoma of the mediastinum is extremely rare. We report a case not previously reported of primary malignant melanoma located in the mediastinum in a 11-year-old boy. The tumor could not be completely resected as a result of extensive invasion of the large blood vessels. Histologically, the tumor was heavily pigmented and composed of vague fascicles of spindle cells intermingled with epithelioid cells. Immunohistochemical analysis showed vimentin, S-100 protein, Melan-A, and HMB-45 immunoreactivity in most of the tumor cells. Nearly 50% of the tumor cells were also positive for p53. It is suggested that primary malignant melanoma of the anterior mediastinum may have a histogenetic relationship to the recently described aggregates of nevus cells in the thymus or mediastinal lymph nodes.
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PMID:Primary malignant melanoma of the anterior mediastinum in a child. 1080 Sep 95

Patients with familial malignant melanoma(FMM) are susceptible for melanoma and multiple dysplastic nevi(atypical mole). FMM is also called as dysplastic nevus syndrome or familial atypical mole and melanoma syndrome. The number of Japanese patients with FMM is very low. In 1994, p16(MTS1, INK4A, CDK4I, CDKN2) gene was cloned as the gene for FMM. p16 gene locus also codes for p14ARF and acts as tumor suppressor through activation of Rb by p16 and p53 by p14ARF. Approximately 20% of FMM patients were shown to carry the germline mutations of p16, indicating the presence of another gene or other genes for FMM, which also may be involved in the development of sporadic malignant melanoma.
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PMID:[Familial malignant melanoma]. 1092 9

Aneuploidy and hyperploidy are often detected in malignant melanoma by cytogenetic analysis and flow cytometric analysis of DNA content. To determine the ploidy of cells in surgical specimens of melanin-producing tumors of Japanese patients, we performed fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using touch smear technique to count the number of chromosomes 18 and X + Y in interphase nuclei using alpha-satellite DNA probes, D18Z1, DXZ1 and DYZ3. A normal melanocyte strain showed two D18Z1 and two [DXZ1+DYZ3] signals per nucleus, indicating 2N, and a malignant melanoma cell line showed 4 per nucleus, indicating 4N, consistent with results of cytogenetic and flow cytometric analyses. Therefore we employed this FISH method to analyze ploidy of surgical specimens. Specimens obtained from 8 patients with nevus cell nevus showed 2 FISH signals per nucleus. On the other hand, in all specimens obtained from 8 patients with malignant melanoma (6 primary and 2 metastatic melanoma), 65-90% of cells exhibited 4 signals per nucleus, indicating 4N. Histopathologically, 50-70% of cells were identified as malignant melanoma cells, indicating that our FISH method is effective to detect melanoma cells in tissue. We also analyzed allelic loss of the p53 gene by FISH with a p53 locus-specific probe and mutation of the p53 gene by immunostaining since mutation and deletion of the p53 gene may cause hyperploidy. All specimens except one obtained from a case with young-onset metastatic melanoma exhibited no allelic losses or negative p53 staining, showing the p53 gene was intact. These results indicate that tetraploidy, not caused by p53 mutation or deletion, is commonly found in malignant melanoma of Japanese patients. It is also suggested that there is no positive relationship between tetraploidy and poorer prognosis, and mutation and allelic loss of the p53 gene might be markers of aggressive form of malignant melanoma.
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PMID:High frequency of tetraploidy detected in malignant melanoma of Japanese patients by fluorescence in situ hybridization. 1099 81


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