Expression And Function Of CK2α In Cancerous Metastasis Of Thyroid Carcinomas

ObjectiveTo investigate the expression of CK2α in human thyroid diseases and the relationship between CK2α and thyroid cancer metastasis. Furthermore, to study the mechanism of protein kinase CK2α in thyroid cancer metastasisMethods1.Using immunohistochemistry, the expression of CK2α、E-cadherin、N-cadherin and tenascin C was measured in 76 begin and malignant human thyroid disease tissues, including 9 with chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, 9 with nodular goiter, 11 with adenoma, 20 with papillary carcinoma, 7 with follicular carcinoma, 9 with anaplastic carcinoma, 11 with medullary carcinoma and 10 pairs of lymph nodes with or without cancerous metastasis.Then the relationship between CK2α、 E-cadherin、N-cadherin and tenascin C(TNC) was analysed..2.The m RNA and protein expression level of CK2α in 4 tumor and non-tumor pairs of thyroid tissues was detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting.And the difference in tumor and non-tumor tissues was analysed..3.The KTC-1 cells were treated with TBB in different concentration of 25μmol/L and 75μmol/L.The protein expression of CK2α was detected. Wound healing test was used to observe the migration of KTC-1 cells.Results1.The expression of CK2α was found to be higher in thyroid carcinoma cases(papillary carcinoma, follicular carcinoma, anaplastic carcinoma and medullary carcinoma) than in ones such as chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, nodular goiter and adenoma(p<0.01), following the lower E-cadherin and higher N-cadherin. More strikingly, elevated expression of CK2α in thyroid papillary carcinoma tissues was not only significantly associated with lymph node cancerous metastasis and clinical stage of thyroid cancers; but also associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT) and high tenascin C expression(p<0.01). In addition, EMT and high TNC expression in thyroid carcinoma tissues was significantly associated with lymph node cancerous metastasis.2.The findings were also confirmed by RT-PCR and Western blotting that CK2α is higher in tumor than that in non-tumor in both m RNA and protein expression level.(p<0.01)3.Compared to the control group,the groups treated with TBB in differrent concentration of 25μmol/L and 75μmol/L expressed the lower level of CK2α,and presented a slower closing of scratch wound.(p<0.01)Conclusions1.elevated expression of CK2α in thyroid papillary carcinoma tissues was not only significantly associated with lymph node cancerous metastasis but also correlated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT) and high tenascin C(TNC) expression.2.TBB inhibt the migration of human thyroid carcinoma cell line KTC-1,the mechanism of it may associate with decrease of the expression of CK2α.3.Elevated expression of nuclear CK2α is a poor prognosis indicator in lymph node cancerous metastasis of human thyroid cancers.