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Specific microRNAs are downregulated in human thyroid anaplastic carcinomas

Oncogene volume 26, pages 7590–7595 (2007)Cite this article

A Corrigendum to this article was published on 27 June 2016

Abstract

Thyroid carcinomas comprise a broad spectrum of tumors with different clinical behaviors. On the one side, there are occult papillary carcinomas (PTC), slow growing and clinically silent, and on the other side, rapidly growing anaplastic carcinomas (ATC), which are among the most lethal human neoplasms. We have analysed the microRNA (miR) profile of ATC in comparison to the normal thyroid using a microarray (miRNACHIP microarray). By this approach, we found an aberrant miR expression profile that clearly differentiates ATC from normal thyroid tissues and from PTC analysed in previous studies. In particular, a significant decrease in miR-30d, miR-125b, miR-26a and miR-30a-5p was detected in ATC in comparison to normal thyroid tissue. These results were further confirmed by northern blots, quantitative reverse transcription–PCR analyses and in situ hybridization. The overexpression of these four miRs in two human ATC-derived cell lines suggests a critical role of miR-125b and miR-26a downregulation in thyroid carcinogenesis, since a cell growth inhibition was achieved. Conversely, no effect on cell growth was observed after the overexpression of miR-30d and miR-30a-5p in the same cells. In conclusion, these data indicate a miR signature associated with ATC and suggest the miR deregulation as an important event in thyroid cell transformation.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants from the Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro (AIRC), Progetto Strategico Oncologia, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, the Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica (MIUR), Fondazione Cariverona (Verona), NOGEC-Naples Oncogenomic Center. We thank the Associazione Partenopea per le Ricerche Oncologiche (APRO) for its support.

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Author notes

  1. R Visone and P Pallante: These two authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Biologia e Patologia Cellulare e Molecolare c/o Istituto di Endocrinologia ed Oncologia Sperimentale del CNR, Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università degli Studi di Napoli ‘Federico II’, Naples, Italy

    R Visone, P Pallante, M Santoro & A Fusco

  2. NOGEC (Naples Oncogenomic Center)-CEINGE, Biotecnologie Avanzate-Napoli, & SEMM - European School of Molecular Medicine – Naples Site, Naples, Italy

    R Visone, P Pallante, A Ferraro, S Coluzzi, V Leone, E Borbone, G Troncone, M Santoro & A Fusco

  3. Division of Human Cancer Genetics, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    R Visone, S Volinia, C-G Liu, F Petrocca, G A Calin & C M Croce

  4. Dipartimento di Istopatologia, Ospedale Sant'Andrea, Università di Roma ‘La Sapienza’, Rome, Italy

    A Vecchione & R Cirombella

  5. Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale e Diagnostica, Centro Interdipartimentale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, Università di Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy

    M Ferracin

  6. Dipartimento di Anatomia Patologica e Citopatologia, Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università degli Studi di Napoli ‘Federico II’, Naples, Italy

    G Troncone

  7. Dipartimento di Patologia, Università di Verona, Verona, Italy

    A Scarpa & C Colato

  8. Dipartimento di Patologia, Università di Bologna – Ospedale Bellaria, Bologna, Italy

    G Tallini

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  1. R Visone
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  2. P Pallante
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  3. A Vecchione
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  4. R Cirombella
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  5. M Ferracin
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  6. A Ferraro
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  7. S Volinia
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  8. S Coluzzi
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  9. V Leone
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  10. E Borbone
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  11. C-G Liu
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  12. F Petrocca
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  13. G Troncone
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  14. G A Calin
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  15. A Scarpa
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  16. C Colato
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  17. G Tallini
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  18. M Santoro
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  19. C M Croce
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  20. A Fusco
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to C M Croce or A Fusco.

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Visone, R., Pallante, P., Vecchione, A. et al. Specific microRNAs are downregulated in human thyroid anaplastic carcinomas. Oncogene 26, 7590–7595 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.onc.1210564

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.onc.1210564

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