Verdelli Chiara, Avagliano Laura, Guarnieri Vito, Cetani Filomena, Ferrero Stefano, Vicentini Leonardo, Beretta Edoardo, Scillitani Alfredo, Creo Pasquale, Bulfamante Gaetano Pietro, Vaira Valentina, Corbetta Sabrina
Laboratory of Experimental Endocrinology, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Milan, Italy.
Unit of Human Pathology, Department of Health Sciences, San Paolo Hospital Medical School, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
Lab Invest. 2017 Dec;97(12):1488-1499. doi: 10.1038/labinvest.2017.88. Epub 2017 Sep 18.
Transcription factors active in embryonic parathyroid cells can be maintained in adult parathyroids and be involved in tumorigenesis. TBX1, the candidate gene of 22q11.2-DiGeorge syndrome, which includes congenital hypoparathyroidism, is involved in parathyroid embryogenesis. The study aimed to investigate expression, function, and regulation of the parathyroid embryonic transcription factor TBX1 in human parathyroid adult normal and tumor tissues. TBX1 transcripts were detected in normal parathyroids and were deregulated in parathyroid tumors. Using immunohistochemistry, TBX1 protein was detected, mainly at the nuclear level, in a consistent proportion of cells in normal adult parathyroids, whereas TBX1 immunoreactivity was absent in fetal parathyroids. TBX1-expressing cells were markedly reduced in about a half of adenomas (PAds) and two-thirds of carcinomas and the proportion of TBX1-expressing cells negatively correlated with the serum albumin-corrected calcium levels in the analyzed tumors. Moreover, a subset of TBX1-expressing tumor cells coexpressed PTH. TBX1 silencing in HEK293 cells, expressing endogenous TBX1, increased the proportion of cells in the G0/G1 phase of cell cycle; concomitantly, CDKN1A/p21 and CDKN2A/p16 transcripts increased and ID1 mRNA levels decreased. TBX1 silencing exerted similar effects in PAd-derived cells, suggesting cell cycle arrest. Moreover, in PAd-derived cells GCM2 and PTH mRNA levels were unaffected by TBX1 deficiency, whereas it was associated with reduction of WNT5A, an antagonist of canonical WNT/β-catenin pathway. WNT/β-catenin activation by lithium chloride inhibited TBX1 expression levels both in HEK293 and PAd-derived cells. In conclusion, TBX1 is expressed in adult parathyroid cells and deregulated in parathyroid tumors, where TBX1 deficiency may potentially contribute to the low proliferative nature of parathyroid tumors.
在胚胎甲状旁腺细胞中活跃的转录因子可在成人甲状旁腺中维持,并参与肿瘤发生。TBX1是22q11.2-迪格奥尔格综合征的候选基因,该综合征包括先天性甲状旁腺功能减退,它参与甲状旁腺胚胎发生。本研究旨在调查甲状旁腺胚胎转录因子TBX1在成人甲状旁腺正常组织和肿瘤组织中的表达、功能及调控。在正常甲状旁腺中检测到TBX1转录本,且在甲状旁腺肿瘤中其表达失调。使用免疫组织化学方法,在正常成人甲状旁腺中,主要在细胞核水平检测到TBX1蛋白,且在一定比例的细胞中呈一致性表达,而在胎儿甲状旁腺中未检测到TBX1免疫反应性。在大约一半的腺瘤(PAds)和三分之二的癌组织中,表达TBX1的细胞明显减少,且在分析的肿瘤中,表达TBX1的细胞比例与血清白蛋白校正钙水平呈负相关。此外,一部分表达TBX1的肿瘤细胞共表达甲状旁腺激素(PTH)。在表达内源性TBX1的HEK293细胞中,TBX1基因沉默增加了细胞周期G0/G1期的细胞比例;同时,细胞周期蛋白依赖性激酶抑制剂1A(CDKN1A/p21)和细胞周期蛋白依赖性激酶抑制剂2A(CDKN2A/p16)转录本增加,而ID1 mRNA水平降低。TBX1基因沉默在源自PAds的细胞中产生了类似的效应,提示细胞周期停滞。此外,在源自PAds的细胞中,胶质细胞缺失2(GCM2)和PTH mRNA水平不受TBX1缺乏的影响,而这与经典WNT/β-连环蛋白信号通路的拮抗剂WNT5A的减少有关。氯化锂激活WNT/β-连环蛋白信号通路可抑制HEK293细胞和源自PAds的细胞中TBX1的表达水平。总之,TBX1在成人甲状旁腺细胞中表达,在甲状旁腺肿瘤中表达失调,在甲状旁腺肿瘤中,TBX1缺乏可能潜在地导致甲状旁腺肿瘤增殖性较低。