Expression of oncogenes in thyroid tumours: coexpression of c-erbB2/neu and c-erbB

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Abstract
The receptor-type oncogenes c-erbB2/neu and c-erbB have been found amplified and/or overexpressed in a number of tumors of epithelial origin. We have studied the expression of oncogenes in biopsies from human thyroid tumors. The c-erbB2/neu and c-erbB oncogenes showed two- to three-fold higher levels of RNA in papillary carcinomas and lymph node metastases as well as in one adenoma when compared to non-tumor tissue. The nuclear oncogenes c-myc and c-fos were found to be expressed at varying levels in both non-tumor and tumor tissue. RNA transcripts specific for the platelet-derived growth factor A and B chains and the N-ras oncogene were detected in one anaplastic carcinoma. Neither rearrangements nor amplifications of oncogenes were observed in the thyroid tumors. These data are particularly interesting in light of the recent findings that epidermal growth factor induces proliferation and dedifferentiation of normal thyroid epithelial cells in vitro. We suggest that the epidermal growth factor or other ligands for the c-erbB and c-erbB2/neu receptors may contribute to the development and/or maintenance of the malignant phenotype of papillary carcinomas of the thyroid.