The expression of death-associated protein kinase in papillary thyroid carcinoma

Abstract

Objective To observe the expression of death-associated protein kinase (DAPK) in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), and explore the role of DAPK in the occurrence and development of PTC. Methods The expression of DAPK was detected by SP immunohistochemical technique and Western blotting in 42 cases of PTC tissues, 42 eases of para-PTC tissues (21 cases of normal thyroid tissues and 21 cases of nodular goiter tissues). The location of DAPK protein expression was examined by SP immunohistochemical technique, and that the differential expression of DAPK protein by Western blotting, respectively.Results By SP immunohistochemical technique, DAPK gene was expressed in the cytoplasm and membrane, and the positive rate of DAPK in para-PTC was 73.81% (31/42), higher than 40.48% (17/42)in PTC. By Western blotting, the positive rate of DAPK in PTC and para-PTC tissues was 35.71% and 66.67% respectively. The positive rate of DAPK in benign thyroid issues was obviously higher than that in tumor tissues (χ~2 = 8.052, P ＜ 0.01 ). The positive rate of DAPK expression in the patients with lymph node involvement was 17.65% (3/17), lower than in those without lymph node involvement[48.00%(12/25)], (χ~2 =4.061 ,P＜0.05). The expression of DAPK was not associated with the age, sex, or tumor size of the patients obviously (P ＞ 0.05 ). Conclusion DAPK is involved in cell apoptosis, and its low or even no expression may be involved in the oncogenesis of PTC. Key words: Thyroid carcinoma; Death-associated protein kinase; Apoptesis