140 Paranuclear dot sequesters death receptors to inhibit apoptosis in Merkel cell carcinoma

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare and aggressive neuroendocrine skin cancer. Most MCC are virus positive (VP-MCC) and express Merkel cell polyomavirus oncogenes, whereas virus negative MCC (VN-MCC) are associated with abundant UV signature mutations. MCC has characteristic features that differentiate it from other neuroendocrine carcinomas, such as expressing Cytokeratin 20 (CK20). Staining of CK20 and other cytokeratins as a paranuclear dot is highly suggestive of MCC. This aggregation of intermediate filament proteins adjacent to the nucleus has been described as displaying a “Golgi pattern”, but little has been done to characterize the nature or function of the paranuclear dot in MCC.
Source: Journal of Investigative Dermatology - Category: Dermatology Authors: Tags: Carcinogenesis and Cancer Genetics Source Type: research