Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0596263 (carcinogenesis)
 64,820 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Gap junctional communication disorders have been implicated in the etiology of benign and malignant tumors. Understanding the type, distribution, and frequency of gap junctions in adrenal disorders should provide insight into the role of gap junctions in adrenal carcinogenesis as well as information that may be useful in developing improved diagnosis and treatment of adrenal diseases. Using immunocytochemical techniques, we have characterized and compared alpha1 connexins 43 gap junction protein levels in normal adrenal glands to those in benign and malignant adrenocortical human tumors. In addition, gap junction protein levels were studied in a human adrenal cancer cell line (H295). In both normal and neoplastic adrenal tissues, only alpha1 connexin 43 could be detected, whereas beta1 connexin 32 and beta2 connexin 26 were not found. In the normal adrenal gland, the zona fasciculata was demonstrated to have the highest number of gap junctions per cell (mean +/- SEM, 13.78 +/- 1.93). In contrast, in benign adrenocortical adenomas, the number of gap junctions per cell compared to that detected in normal adrenal glands was significantly reduced (mean +/- SEM, 4.6 +/- 1.17; P < or = 0.05), and the lowest number was found in malignant adrenocortical tumors (1.42 +/- 0.58; P < or = 0.05). Similarly, there were few or no alpha1 connexin 43 gap junctions in the H295 population. There was a progressive decrease in gap junction plaques in adrenocortical cancer cell populations compared to those in normal cell populations. Therefore, analysis of gap junction protein may be helpful for the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant adrenal tumors. The induction of gap junctions in malignant cells may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for adrenal cancer.
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PMID:Alpha1 connexin 43 gap junctions are decreased in human adrenocortical tumors. 1069 Sep 7

Adrenal cancer is a rare neoplasm. Up to 1 in 1500 adrenal incidentalomas, however, may hide a carcinoma, which, if diagnosed late or left untreated, is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Despite extensive investigation of the molecular mechanisms involved in adrenal carcinogenesis and significant improvements in diagnostic imaging, efforts to cure advanced adrenal cancer remain largely unsuccessful. This article reviews the recent advances in molecular understanding, clinical diagnosis, and treatment of adrenal cancer.
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PMID:Adrenal cancer. 1073 61

Adrenal cancer is a rare neoplasm; however, up to 1 in 1 500 adrenal incidentalomas may hide a carcinoma, which, if diagnosed late or left untreated, is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Despite extensive investigation of the molecular mechanisms involved in adrenal carcinogenesis and significant improvements in diagnostic imaging, efforts to cure advanced adrenal cancer remain largely unsuccessful. Thus, the investigation of the genetics of adrenocortical cancer by the candidate or positional cloning gene approach is essential in the development of new therapies for this disease. We propose that adrenocortical tumorigenesis follows a pattern similar to that in other organs: As the pathology of the adrenocortical tumor increases towards malignancy, the genetic changes that are observed also increase. Known genetic associations, like TP53 gene changes, occur during the latest stages of adrenocortical tumorigenesis. Thus, it is essential to study the relatively few genes that are affected at the beginning of this process, at the stages of benign tumorigenesis in the cortex. We have studied primary pigmented adrenocortical disease (PPNAD), a benign, bilateral, adrenocortical hyperplasia, which either in its isolated form or as part of Carney complex (CNC), is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner and, therefore, the gene(s) responsible for this disorder could be identified by positional cloning approaches. Indeed, we have identified two genetic loci harboring genes for PPNAD and/or CNC on chromosomal loci 2p16 and 17q22-24. The chromosome 17 gene, PRKAR1A, was recently cloned and the identification of other responsible genes is currently under way in our, and collaborating laboratories. The present report reviews the genetics of adrenocortical cancer first, followed by what is known today about the genetics of PPNAD and/or CNC.
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PMID:Genetics of adrenocortical tumors: Carney complex. 1135 91

The genetic and histopathological backgrounds of adrenocortical tumorigenesis remain poorly characterized. In other tissues, there is conclusive evidence that hyperplasia and adenomas precede cancer. In the adrenal, there are few clinical cases of either hyperplasia or adenoma associated with later development of cancer, and there are few biological studies that attempt to characterize this process molecularly. Current research focuses on the early lesions of the adrenal cortex because of their possible molecular link with carcinogenesis, and evidence of their frequent association with atypical forms of Cushing's and Conn's syndromes, obesity, hypertension and/or diabetes. These studies indicate a model for oncogenesis that is the same as that in other tissues. The rarity of adrenal cancer compared to benign lesions could be a clue to unique features of adrenocortical cells. It might also highlight the function of genes that are associated with endocrine tumors in the context of which the concept of gene 'conductors' is introduced here.
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PMID:Genetics of adrenocortical tumors: gatekeepers, landscapers and conductors in symphony. 1458 Jul 59