Study of the role of NDRG1 gene in the development of thyroid neoplasms

Abstract

Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine neoplasia, occupying the ninth place in the worldwide incidence of cancer. The elucidation of the pathways and molecular mechanisms involved in its pathophysiology is fundamental for the development of more efficient prevention and treatment strategies. NDRG1 is a member of N-Myc Downstream Regulated Gene family that was associated with various important functions such as growth suppression, cell differentiation and a role in cell signaling pathways. One of them is the MYC-MAD-MAX pathway, which is also implicated in the development of thyroid tumors. To understand the relation between NDRG1 gene with thyroid cancer development, we are going to analyses polymorphisms prior selected by in silico analysis using TaqMan SNP Genotyping in 200 patients with thyroid tumor and in 200 control patients. We will also evaluate the protein expression of NDRG1 using Tissue Microarray (TMA) slides from 200 cases from the GEMOCA Biorepository. We will analyze the relationship of these polymorphisms with the risk of developing thyroid cancer, clinical picture, aggressiveness and evolution of patients who have been followed for almost 30 years in our service.