p63 inhibits CD44/CD24 cell proliferation and chemoresistance in papillary thyroid carcinoma cells.

Thyroid cancer typically has a good prognosis; however, the risks of recurrence and chemoresistance associated with thyroid cancer remain a cause for concern. Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) comprises 80% of all cases of thyroid carcinoma. A previous study reported that cluster of differentiation (CD) 44/CD24 PTC cells may contribute to PTC recurrence and chemoresistance; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive. In the present study, CD44/CD24 cells were isolated from the TPC-1 PTC cell line and biological function assays revealed that CD44/CD24 cells were significantly more proliferative and chemoresistant compared with CD44/CD24 cells. Furthermore, the expression level of p63 was demonstrated to be negatively correlated with the expression of CD44 in PTC cells. The role of p63 in CD44/CD24 cell proliferation and chemoresistance was investigated and, the ectopic expression of p63 was observed to significantly inhibit CD44/CD24 cell proliferation and chemoresistance and . In conclusion, the present study indicated that CD44/CD24 cells contribute to PTC proliferation and chemoresistance and that the suppression of p63 in CD44/CD24 cells contributes to these effects.