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)

When comparing two subsequent stages of melanocytic tumor progression we identified calcyclin as a new potential progression marker, the expression of which was correlated with metastatic behavior of various human melanoma cell lines in nude mice. In this study, we describe a good correlation between RNA and protein levels in the xenografts of these cell lines and extended these experiments to a panel of 120 routinely processed human melanocytic cutaneous lesions. Northern blot analysis demonstrated that calcyclin RNA expression was elevated in melanoma metastases as compared to several types of nevocellular nevi. Calcyclin staining using a specific polyclonal antiserum showed a more complex pattern. A stronger staining in a higher percentage of positive cells was observed in thick primary melanoma (> or = 1.5 mm) as compared to thin primary melanoma (< 1.5 mm). Calcyclin expression was also present in a higher percentage of cells showing a stronger staining in melanomas with higher Clark levels (> II) corresponding to the vertical growth phase of primary melanomas. Protein expression in nevocellular nevi was confined to the dermal part and was highest in the lower parts of the dermis. Remarkably, dysplastic nevi (atypical moles), potential precursors of melanoma, did not show any expression at all, either in junctional or dermal parts. Confinement of the expression to the dermal part of nondysplastic nevi and primary melanomas may reflect interactions with the microenvironment of the reticular dermis that occurs with vertical growth.
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PMID:Expression of calcyclin in human melanocytic lesions. 826 23

Three members of the S100 gene family, S100A2, S100A4 and S100A6, have been suggested to be associated with cancer development and metastasis. To study their involvement in the tumorigenesis of human melanoma, we examined the mRNA expression levels of the 3 genes in 45 melanoma metastases and in 20 benign nevi. Interestingly, whereas none of the metastases expressed S100A2 mRNA, and the expression level was low in 6 cell lines established from primary melanomas, all nevi showed moderate to high expression levels. Our results suggest that loss of S100A2 gene expression may be an early event in melanoma development. A significant correlation was found between the expression of S100A6 in melanoma metastases and both the survival time of the patients and the thickness of the corresponding primary tumors. For the S100A4 gene, however, no relationship was found between gene expression and clinical parameters of melanoma malignancy. The observed differences in expression patterns of the 3 S100 genes suggest distinct roles of their products in melanoma tumorigenesis and/or metastasis, and the results encourage studies to evaluate the potential value of using S100A2 and S100A6 expression levels as markers in the clinical management of melanoma.
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PMID:Differential expression patterns of S100A2, S100A4 and S100A6 during progression of human malignant melanoma. 929 41

The Spitz nevus is a benign melanocytic lesion that can be identified reliably in many cases by conventional histopathological criteria. However, there are subsets of Spitz nevi and of malignant melanoma that closely resemble each other and represent diagnostic challenges. S100 proteins are of interest because of their involvement in neoplastic processes and their genes are clustered in chromosome 1q21. Chromosome 1 contains mutations in several types of tumors, including melanomas. The expression of different S100 proteins (A2, A6 and A8/A9 or A12) was examined in 42 Spitz nevi, 105 melanomas, and 73 melanocytic nevi to test the hypothesis that their expression differs among these entities and may contribute to the distinction between these entities. The results showed an up-regulation of S100A6 protein in Spitz nevi, melanomas, and melanocytic nevi but with a different percentage of positivity and pattern of immunoreactivity. The differences between these three entities were statistically significant (P <.001). All 42 Spitz nevi (100%) showed strong and diffuse S100A6 protein expression, both in junctional and in dermal components of the nevi. Thirty-three percent of melanomas expressed S100A6 (35/105). The expression was mainly weak (30/35) and patchy in the dermal component and was negative or minimal in the junctional component. Fifty-six percent of different subtypes of melanocytic nevi (41/73) expressed S100A6, almost all of them weakly (40/41) and in the dermal component. Normal intraepidermal melanocytes were negative. The melanocytic cells in these three entities did not express S100A2, S100A8/A9 or A12. However, an up-regulation of S100A2 and S100A8/A9 or A12 proteins was observed in normal keratinocytes in the epidermis overlying Spitz nevi and melanomas, without differences. In summary, a simple immunohistochemical test for S100A6 protein differentiated between Spitz nevi, melanomas, and melanocytic nevi. This marker could be used when the distinction is very difficult or controversial in routine studies, especially when there is a junctional component. Further molecular analyses of the S100A6 protein and gene should be performed to study the underlying genetic bases for such differences.
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PMID:S100A6 protein expression is different in Spitz nevi and melanomas. 1274 57