Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Leiden University Medical Center, Einthovenweg 20, 2330 RC, Leiden, The Netherlands.
J Pathol. 2012 Nov;228(3):261-5. doi: 10.1002/path.4102.
Chordoma is a rare malignant tumour of bone showing notochordal differentiation with characteristic expression of the transcription factor brachyury (T). Next to giving insight into its differentiation spectrum, the expression of T can be used as an adjunct diagnostic tool. The expression of brachyury in chordoma is necessary to maintain cell proliferation in chordoma cell lines, indicating that in chordoma it might be a master regulator of oncogenesis. Identification and mapping of the full gene regulatory network in a recent work in The Journal of Pathology by Nelson and colleagues not only shed light on involved pathways but also indicated pathways for targeted therapy, including brachyury itself.
脊索瘤是一种罕见的骨恶性肿瘤，具有脊索分化的特征，并表现出转录因子 brachyury（T）的特征性表达。除了深入了解其分化谱外，T 的表达还可以作为辅助诊断工具。脊索瘤中 brachyury 的表达对于维持脊索瘤细胞系的细胞增殖是必要的，这表明在脊索瘤中，它可能是致癌的主调控因子。Nelson 及其同事在《病理学杂志》上的一项最新研究中，不仅鉴定和绘制了完整的基因调控网络，阐明了相关通路，还指出了包括 brachyury 本身在内的靶向治疗途径。
