This includes frequently reported gene fusions such as CCDC6/RET (PTC1), PRKAR1A/RET (PTC2) and ETV6/NTRK3 , and gene fusions that are less common in thyroid cancer (TPM3/NTRK1, EML4/ALK and EML4/NTRK3).
Recent novel and promising findings include additional abnormalities in key pathways associated with thyroid tumorigenesis (RET-Ras-BRAF-MEK; RET-beta-cateinin; TRK-PI3K-AKT; and MDM-p53-PTEN), single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with thyroid cancer susceptibility, epigenetic silencing, alternative splicing, and gene expression abnormalities.
Specific genetic lesions are associated to each thyroid tumor histotype: BRAF mutations and RET/PTC and TRK oncogenes have been detected in PTC, whereas FTC is characterized by PAX8/PPARgamma rearrangements and RAS mutations.
To determine if TRK-T1 expression can cause thyroid cancer in vivo, we developed transgenic mice that express the human TRK-T1 fusion protein in the thyroid.
In this paper, we report (1) the cDNA structure of TRK-T2, (2) evidence that TRK-T2 is generated by different rearrangements in two thyroid tumors, and (3) a detailed analysis of the three different TPR/NTRK1 rearrangements.