| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
Regular Articles |




From the Departments of Oncology,*
Surgery,
and
Pathology§
and Laboratory of Medical
Genetics, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki; and the
Department of Medical Genetics,
Haartman
Institute, Helsinki, Finland
| Abstract |
|---|
|
|
|---|
| Introduction |
|---|
|
|
|---|
10 to 15%
of primary hyperparathyroidism.1
Secondary
hyperparathyroidism occurs in patients with chronic renal failure, and
is usually associated with multiglandular parathyroid hyperplasia.
Primary hyperparathyroidism can be cured by surgery in >90% of cases,
but it is important to know for surgical decision-making whether an
abnormal parathyroid represents a single adenoma, or whether
hyperplasia affecting the parathyroids is present. Histological distinction between hyperplastic and adenomatous parathyroid glands is difficult, and there are no specific abnormalities that distinguish between hyperplastic and adenomatous glands.2 Hyperplasia is generally considered as a nonneoplastic condition, whereas adenomas are neoplasms. However, these two entities may not be distinctly different, and at least some adenomas might have their origin in antecedent parathyroid hyperplasia, and develop from the latter via a series of somatic mutations. Clonal analyses have suggested that in renal hyperparathyroidism parathyroid glands initially grow diffusely and polyclonally, after which the foci of nodular hyperplasia are transformed to monoclonal neoplasia.3 Monoclonality has been found also in a minority of primary parathyroid hyperplasias by X-chromosome inactivation analysis.4
Several genes and chromosomal changes seem to be involved in the
molecular pathogenesis of parathyroid adenomas. The cyclin
D1/PRAD1 oncogene,5-7
and the MEN1 tumor
suppressor gene on chromosome 11q138,9
have been reported
to be involved in the pathogenesis of some parathyroid adenomas.
Cyclin D1 is also located at 11q13, and in a subset of
parathyroid adenomas pericentromeric inversion of chromosome 11 places
the parathyroid hormone (PTH) gene transcriptional
regulatory sequences on 11p15 immediately upstream of the cyclin
D1 proto-oncogene promoter and its five exons. This rearrangement
results in unregulated or inappropriate expression of cyclin D1 that
has an important role in the control of cell cycle progression through
the G1/S checkpoint. Loss or inactivation of both
copies of the tumor suppressor gene MEN1 contributes to the
genesis of parathyroid neoplasms in the familial MEN1 syndrome, but
allelic losses at 11q13 have been observed in up to 40% of parathyroid
adenomas suggesting an important role for MEN1 in molecular
evolution of sporadic parathyroid adenomas.9-11
In
addition, loss of heterozygosity on chromosome arms 1p, 6q, 11p, and
15q have been found in
30%, and loss of chromosome 3q markers in
10% of parathyroid adenomas.12-15
Allelic loss of
chromosome 13, including the tumor suppressor gene RB1, has
been detected in 16 to 30% of parathyroid adenomas, and even more
frequently in carcinomas.15-19
DNA alterations involving
the parathyroid hormone gene PTH locus on 11p15 may also be
important in the tumorigenesis or clonal evolution of some parathyroid
adenomas.20
Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) has recently been used to identify chromosomal changes in parathyroid adenomas. These studies, as well as conventional cytogenetics analysis, indicate losses on many chromosomes including 1, 3, 6, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 18, 19, and 22. Loss of 11q has been particularly common with a frequency of 34 to 50% in parathyroid adenomas studied by CGH.19,21,22 To the best of our knowledge, no similar data on parathyroid hyperplasias is available, and none of the studies have compared the DNA profiles of parathyroid hyperplasias and adenomas by CGH. In the present study we compared DNA copy number changes in parathyroid hyperplasias and adenomas with CGH. Because pericentromeric inversion of chromosome 11 contributing to overexpression of cyclin D1 is unlikely to result in a large DNA copy number change that could be detected by CGH, we assessed cyclin D1 overexpression by immunohistochemistry.
| Materials and Methods |
|---|
|
|
|---|
The series is based on 47 patients who underwent parathyroid
surgery at the Department of Surgery, Helsinki University Central
Hospital, Helsinki, Finland. Eleven were male, and the median age was
61 years (range, 29 to 90 years). Sixteen patients had primary
parathyroid hyperplasia, four patients had MEN1 syndrome, three had
secondary hyperplasia related to chronic renal failure, and three had
uremic parathyroid hyperplasia that had become refractory to medical
treatment (tertiary hyperplasia). The patients with secondary
hyperplasia because of renal disease had been subjected to parathyroid
surgery to make the disease less difficult to control by medical
therapy (n = 2) or the parathyroids were removed
in conjunction with thyroid surgery (n = 1).
Sixteen further patients had been diagnosed with parathyroid adenoma
(Table 1)
. In addition, we studied five
cases in which the excised sample contained histopathologically normal
parathyroid tissue only. One parathyroid gland was examined by CGH in
each of the 47 patients except for five patients with hyperplasia, in
which two to four glands were examined (cases 2, 3, 5, 7, and 8; Table 1
). A total of 34 hyperplastic parathyroids from 26 patients were
investigated, and the total number of parathyroid glands studied by CGH
in the entire series was 55.
|
All original histological sections were reexamined (KF). The
differential diagnosis between adenoma and hyperplasia was based on the
following criteria: 1) parathyroid adenoma was diagnosed when there was
an encapsulated tumorous parathyroid lesion with no fat cells. Outside
the lesion capsule areas of normal appearing parathyroid tissue with
fat cells was seen in all cases. 2) Parathyroid hyperplasia, in turn,
was diagnosed when at least two enlarged parathyroid glands were
present with no normal parathyroid tissue identified outside the
capsule of the lesion. In the lesion, either diffuse proliferation of
enlarged parathyroid chief cells with no fat cells or nodular
proliferation of chief cells sometimes with some fat cells between the
nodules was seen. Two MEN1-related hyperplasias were classified as
nodular and the rest as diffuse. All lesions with hyperplasia
represented chief cell hyperplasia except for one case (case 6, Table 1
), which was a water-clear cell hyperplasia.
DNA Isolation and CGH
Standard methods were used to extract genomic DNA from frozen tumor tissue or paraffin-embedded tissue (test DNA), and from the peripheral blood of a healthy male or female (normal reference DNA).23,24 CGH using directly fluorochrome-conjugated nucleotides was performed according to the protocol by Kallioniemi and colleagues,25 modified by us as described elsewhere.26 Briefly, 1 µg of tumor DNA was labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate-dUTP and fluorescein isothiocyanate-dCTP (1:1; Dupont, Boston, MA), and 1 µg of normal DNA was labeled with Texas-red-dUTP and Texas-red-dCTP (1:1, Dupont) in a standard nick-translation reaction. Equal amounts of labeled test and reference DNA were hybridized to normal metaphase spreads. The slides were counterstained with 4', 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (Sigma, St. Louis, MO) for the identification of the chromosomes.
In three cases in which histologically normal parathyroid tissue was studied the starting material did not contain enough DNA for CGH (cases 44, 46, and 47). In these cases we amplified the genomic DNA by using degenerate oligonucleotide-primed PCR as described.27
The results were analyzed using an Olympus fluorescence microscope and
an ISIS digital image analysis system (MetaSystems GmbH, Altlussheim,
Germany). Three-color images (green for tumor DNA, red for normal
reference DNA, and blue for DNA counterstain) were acquired from 8 to
10 metaphases per sample. Green-to-red ratio profiles along the
chromosome axis were displayed. Chromosomal regions with a green-to-red
ratio exceeding 1.17 were considered to be overrepresented (gains),
whereas regions with a ratio below 0.85 were considered underepresented
(losses). These values were set on the basis of the results of negative
control experiments, in which two differently labeled normal DNAs were
hybridized together. In the negative controls, the ratios varied within
these limits. Reverse-labeling CGH was performed on selected cases
(cases 18, 26, and 27; Table 1
), which confirmed the alterations
detected by the standard technique.28
The findings were
confirmed using a confidence interval of 99%. The cut-off
level for high-level amplification was 1.5. Heterochromatic areas, the
short arm of the acrocentric chromosomes and chromosome Y were
discarded from the analysis.
Nuclei Extraction and Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization (FISH)
FISH was performed to confirm the CGH results. The nuclei from paraffin-embedded tissue were extracted as described elsewhere29,30 with slight modifications. Briefly, four 30-µm sections were deparaffinized and incubated in 1 ml of Carlsbergs solution (0.1% Sigma protease XXIV, 0.1 mol/L Tris, 0.07 mol/L NaCl, pH 7.2) for 1 hour at 37°C and vortexed vigorously for 20 minutes. The nuclear suspension was filtered through a nylon mesh (pore size, 55 µm), centrifuged, and diluted in 0.1 mol/L Tris. Following this the nuclei suspension was spread on slides and checked microscopically.
Yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) clone 755b11 obtained from the Center
dEtude Polymorphisme dHumain (CEPH, Paris, France) was used to
detect deletion of chromosome 11q23.1 by FISH. Four cases that had 11q
deletions by CGH (cases 2a, and 2729; Table 1
) and 14 cases without
11q deletion (cases 1, 2b, 3a, 4, 17, 1926, and 30) were
investigated. The YAC probe 953e4, which hybridizes to 11p13, was used
as a control for hybridization efficiency and for evaluation of the
chromosome copy number in these experiments. A MEN1 gene-specific
cosmid clone c10B11 (a kind gift from Dr. D. Gisselsson, Department of
Clinical Genetics, University Hospital, Lund, Sweden) was used in 9
cases (cases 2a, 3a, 4, 17, 19, 21, 22, 28, and 29) to determine the
MEN1 gene copy number.31
All probes were labeled with biotin-14-dATP (Life Technologies, Inc., Gaithersburg, MD) by nick-translation, precipitated with herring sperm DNA (0.62 µg/µl, Sigma) and human Cot-1 DNA (0.62 µg/µl, Life Technologies, Inc.), and dissolved in a hybridization buffer containing 50% formamide, 20% dextran sulfate, and 2x standard saline citrate (SSC). To allow for penetration of the probe, the slides were treated in 1 mol/L sodium thiocyanate at 70°C for 15 minutes, followed by treatment in 0.05 N HCl at 37°C for 10 minutes, and by 5 mg/ml pepsin in 0.05 N HCl at 37°C for 20 minutes. The slides were then dehydrated in a rising alcohol series (70, 85, and 100%) and denatured in 70% formamide/2x SSC, pH 7, at 75°C for 5 minutes, followed by dehydration in a cold alcohol series. The probes were denatured at 75°C for 5 minutes and applied onto the slides. Hybridizations were performed at 37°C for 2 days. Posthybridization washes were performed at 45°C in 50% formamide, three times in 2x SSC, pH 7.0, for 5 minutes each; once in 2x SSC, pH 7.0, for 5 minutes; twice in 0.1x SSC, pH 7.0, for 5 minutes each; and finally in 4x SSC, 0.2% Tween, pH 7.0 (Sigma), at room temperature for 5 minutes. For detection of signals, fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated avidin (Vector Laboratories Inc., Burlingame, CA) was used. The signals were then further amplified with anti-avidin D/avidin-fluorescein isothiocyanate (Vector Laboratories Inc.). Finally, slides were counterstained with diamidino-2-phenylindole (Sigma), and mounted with an anti-fade solution (Vector Laboratories Inc.). From each preparation a minimum of 100 morphologically intact and nonoverlapping nuclei were scored using a Leitz fluorescence microscope (Laborlux D, Germany).
Immunohistochemistry
Immunohistochemistry for cyclin D1 was performed on deparaffinized
3-µm sections. Deparaffination was done at room temperature with
Autostainer XL version 1.10 (Leica, Nussloch, Germany). The procedure
involves treatment with xylene 2 x 7 minutes, a descending
alcohol series (100% for 2 minutes, 100% for 1 minute, 94% for 30
seconds, 50% for 30 seconds, and aqua for 30 seconds). Antigen
demasking was performed by heating the samples in a microwave oven in 1
mmol/L of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid buffer, pH 8.0, 2 x 5
minutes with 1000 W and 5 minutes with 700 W. Methanol-peroxidase
(1.6%) was used to inhibit endogenous peroxidase activity. For
immunohistochemistry, the specimens were incubated overnight at room
temperature with a 1:100 diluted mouse monoclonal antibody for human
cyclin D1 (Novocastra Laboratories Ltd., Newcastle, UK). A
peroxidase-conjugated secondary antibody was used to detect binding of
the primary antibody using the Vectastain Elite ABC kit (Vector
Laboratories, Inc.). The sections were counterstained with hematoxylin.
A positive control with cyclin D1 expression was included in each
experiment. Overexpression of cyclin D1 was considered to be present if
40% or more of the sample cells showed nuclear immunopositivity. In
cases classified as negative, the proportion of the stained cells never
exceeded 10%.
Statistical Analysis
Frequency tables were analyzed with Fishers exact test. Differences between two groups in parathyroid gland weight, serum parathyroid hormone levels, and serum calcium levels were compared using Mann-Whitneys U test because of nonnormal distributions. All P values are two-tailed.
| Results |
|---|
|
|
|---|
A summary of gains and losses detected by CGH is shown in Table 1
.
DNA copy number changes were more frequent in adenomas (10 of 16, 63%)
than in primary hyperplasias (4 of 24, 17%; P =
0.0059). In hyperplasias and adenomas the changes were clearly
associated with particular chromosomes (Figure 1)
.
|
Two to four glands of the same patient were studied by CGH in five
cases with primary hyperplasia (cases 2, 3, 5, 7, and 8, Table 1
), and
in three of these five patients no DNA copy number changes were present
in any of the glands. However, in one case (case 2) deletions of
6q14-qter and 11q14-q23.1 and a gain of chromosome 19 were found in one
of the four glands investigated, whereas no DNA copy number changes
were present in the three other glands. In another case (case 7)
deletion of 4q25-q30 and loss of chromosome 13 were found in one gland,
a loss of chromosome 13 in another gland, but no changes were found in
the third gland investigated.
We found as many as 29 DNA copy number changes in the 16 adenomas investigated. As in hyperplasias, losses (n = 20, 69%) were more common than gains (n = 9, 31%). Chromosome 11q or a part of it was the most common loss (5 of 16, 31%) with the minimum common deleted region at 11q22-q23. Other frequent losses were detected at chromosomes 13q and 6q (n = 3 for each, 19%), 15 and 18 (n = 2 for each, 13%). The most frequent gain was gain of chromosome 7 (n = 3). In one case (case 18) high-level amplifications were found at 7q21-q35, 8p12-p22, and 8q21.2-qter.
None of the five histologically normal parathyroid glands had any DNA copy number changes by CGH.
FISH Results
We investigated 18 parathyroid lesions by FISH for the presence of
11q23 deletion or amplification to confirm the results obtained with
CGH. In all four cases with a deletion of 11q in a CGH analysis (cases
2a, 27, 28. and 29; Table 1
), only one hybridization signal was
obtained one in >75% of the cells with YAC 755b11 (1.6 Mb) that
hybridizes to 11q23. Two of these cases (cases 27 and 28) with a
deletion of also 11p in CGH showed only one hybridization signal for
YAC 953e4 that hybridizes to 11p13. In the rest of the cases that
consisted of four hyperplasias (cases 1, 2b, 3a, and 4) and 10 adenomas
(cases 17, 1926, and 30) and with no detectable changes in chromosome
11 in CGH analyses, two signals for both YAC 755b11 and 953e4 were seen
in >80% of the cells.
We also analyzed nine lesions that did not have deletion of 11q13 in
CGH with FISH to investigate the copy numbers of the MEN1
gene. In all nine cases two hybridization signals were present in
>85% of the cells. Although 11q23 was deleted in three of these cases
(cases 2a, 28, and 29) by both CGH and FISH, both alleles of
MEN1 were present (Figure 2)
.
Hence, the results obtained by FISH were fully concordant with those of
CGH.
|
There was no difference in the parathyroid gland weight, serum calcium levels, or serum parathormone levels measured at diagnosis between primary parathyroid hyperplasia patients with a DNA copy number change and those without such a change (P = 0.23, 0.47, and 0.64, respectively). Similarly, no difference in gland weight or serum calcium or parathormone levels was found among parathyroid adenoma patients between those with a DNA copy number change and those without (P = 0.19, 0.11, and 0.18, respectively).
Cyclin D1 Expression
Forty-seven glands were immunostained for cyclin D1 (Table 1)
.
None of the 27 hyperplasias studied overexpressed cyclin D1, whereas
cyclin D1 immunostaining was positive in six (40%) out of the 15
adenomas studied (P = 0.0010, Figure 3
). The samples that contained
histologically normal parathyroid tissue (n = 5)
did not overexpress cyclin D1. Either chromosomal deletion or cyclin D1
overexpression was present in 13 (81%) of the 16 adenomas, and either
deletion of 11q23 or cyclin D1 overexpression was present in 10 (63%)
adenomas (Table 1)
.
|
| Discussion |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Pathogenesis of nonfamilial parathyroid hyperplasia is poorly understood. It has been assumed that the disease results from polyclonal nonneoplastic proliferations involving multiple glands, but recent studies focusing on clonality of cell proliferation suggest that this view may be oversimplified. In one study on renal failure-associated hyperparathyroidism, all four specimens from diffuse parathyroid gland hyperplasia were found to be polyclonal, whereas all seven specimens from nodules in nodular hyperplasia were monoclonal based on restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the X-chromosome-linked phosphoglycerokinase gene, and random inactivation of the gene by methylation, suggesting that nodular hyperplasia may represent monoclonal parathyroid neoplasia.32 In another study in which clonality of hyperplastic parathyroid lesions was assessed with X-chromosome inactivation analysis and by searching for monoclonal allelic losses, seven of 11 (64%) informative patients with uremic refractory hyperparathyroidism harbored at least one monoclonal parathyroid tumor, and tumor monoclonality was demonstrated in six of 16 (38%) patients with primary parathyroid hyperplasia.4
Large changes in the cellular DNA content are common in adenomas of endocrine organs.33 Most changes in the present study were losses of the genetic material, which is in line with previous studies on parathyroid adenomas.19,21,22 The CGH profiles of parathyroid adenomas are clearly different from those of thyroid adenomas, where losses of genetic material are seldom found, but DNA copy number gains of several chromosomes are frequent.34 Moreover, parathyroid hyperplasias and adenomas showed more DNA copy number changes in CGH analysis than papillary thyroid carcinomas, suggesting that the molecular genetic mechanisms that lead to benign endocrine tumors may vary in different endocrine organs, and that the association between the amount of DNA lost or gained has poor association with the tumor malignancy potential.
Deletion of the entire chromosome 11 or a part of it was present in 8% of primary hyperplasias and 31% of adenomas with a common minimum deleted region in 11q22-q23. The number of secondary, tertiary, and MEN-related hyperplasias studied was too small to allow for meaningful conclusions, but a loss of whole chromosome 11 was present in all four MEN1-related cases, where somatic loss of the remaining MEN1 allele probably resulted in parathyroid hyperplasia. These CGH findings were in line with those obtained with FISH. Importantly, all three cases that had 11q23 deletion by CGH and FISH and that were further investigated with FISH to determine the MEN1 allele copy number, had both MEN1 alleles located at 11q13 present, suggesting the possibility that 11q23 might contain an important suppressor gene that is distinct from MEN1.35 This hypothesis is supported by the frequent deletion of 11q22-q24 in several human cancers, such as ovarian and colorectal carcinoma, and mantle cell lymphoma.36-39 One candidate tumor suppressor gene located at 11q23 is PPP2R1B that encodes the ß isoform of the A subunit of the serine/threonine protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), and deletion of PPP2R1B may lead to colon or lung cancer.40,41 The ATM (ataxia-telangiectasia mutated) suppressor gene located at 11q22.3 has a role in the cell-cycle check-point control, genome surveillance, and cellular defense against oxidative stress.42
Apart from loss of 11q and 11p many other losses or gains may also be important in the pathogenesis of parathyroid adenomas and hyperplasias. We found DNA loss in chromosome 13 in four hyperplasias and three adenomas with a minimal common deleted region at 13q21.3.-q31.3. Loss of chromosome 13q has been detected more often in parathyroid carcinoma than in parathyroid adenoma,15-18,43 and it contains several candidate suppressor genes such as RB1 (13q14) and ING1 (13q34). We also found DNA loss in chromosome 6 in two hyperplasias and three adenomas with a minimal deleted region at 6q22-q24. Loss of chromosome 6q is frequent in human cancers,39 and studies on breast and ovarian cancer have implicated the chromosomal regions 6q23-q25 and 6q24-q25 as locations for putative tumor suppressor genes.44,45
Although gains of genetic material were less common than losses, high-level amplifications were found at 7q21-q35, 8p12-p22, and 8q21.2-qter in one adenoma. These amplifications have not been described previously in parathyroid neoplasms. Amplifications of 8q are frequently seen in many other tumor types, and one of the most important target genes in this amplicon is MYC at 8q24.46 However, in this oxyphilic adenoma tumor blood vessel invasion was seen in one small vein, which might have been interpreted as a sign of carcinoma. As the tumor did not fulfill other criterias of malignancy, it was diagnosed as atypical adenoma. The association between this amplification and genesis of parathyroid carcinoma requires further study.
In conclusion, both DNA copy number loss and cyclin D1 overexpression are common in parathyroid adenomas unlike in primary parathyroid hyperplasias. This suggests that pericentromeric inversion of chromosome 11 and suppressor gene loss are important underlying mechanisms in the molecular pathogenesis of parathyroid adenomas. The region 11q23 is frequently lost in parathyroid adenomas and occasionally in parathyroid hyperplasias, and this finding suggests the possibility that this region may contain a tumor suppressor gene that is important in their pathogenesis.
| Acknowledgements |
|---|
| Footnotes |
|---|
Supported by grants from the Cancer Society of Finland, Academy of Finland, Helsinki University Central Hospital Research Fund, Finnish Cultural Foundation, Emil Aaltonen Foundation, Maud Kuistila Foundation, and the Clinical Research Institute of Helsinki University Central Hospital.
Accepted for publication December 21, 2000.
| References |
|---|
|
|
|---|
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
P. Aggarwal, M. D. Lessie, D. I. Lin, L. Pontano, A. B. Gladden, B. Nuskey, A. Goradia, M. A. Wasik, A. J.P. Klein-Szanto, A. K. Rustgi, et al. Nuclear accumulation of cyclin D1 during S phase inhibits Cul4-dependent Cdt1 proteolysis and triggers p53-dependent DNA rereplication Genes & Dev., November 15, 2007; 21(22): 2908 - 2922. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
G. J. Strewler A 64-Year-Old Woman With Primary Hyperparathyroidism JAMA, April 13, 2005; 293(14): 1772 - 1779. [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
L. Forsberg, E. Bjorck, J. Hashemi, J. Zedenius, A. Hoog, L.-O. Farnebo, M. Reimers, and C. Larsson Distinction in gene expression profiles demonstrated in parathyroid adenomas by high-density oligoarray technology Eur. J. Endocrinol., March 1, 2005; 152(3): 459 - 470. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. Fu, C. Wang, Z. Li, T. Sakamaki, and R. G. Pestell Minireview: Cyclin D1: Normal and Abnormal Functions Endocrinology, December 1, 2004; 145(12): 5439 - 5447. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. Qiuling, Z. Yuxin, Z. Suhua, X. Cheng, L. Shuguang, and H. Fengsheng Cyclin D1 gene polymorphism and susceptibility to lung cancer in a Chinese population Carcinogenesis, September 1, 2003; 24(9): 1499 - 1503. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. M. Mallya, J. J. Gallagher, and A. Arnold Analysis of Microsatellite Instability in Sporadic Parathyroid Adenomas J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., March 1, 2003; 88(3): 1248 - 1251. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
E. Szabo, T. Carling, O. Hessman, and J. Rastad Loss of Heterozygosity in Parathyroid Glands of Familial Hypercalcemia with Hypercalciuria and Point Mutation in Calcium Receptor J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., August 1, 2002; 87(8): 3961 - 3965. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
F. H. Menko, R. B. van der Luijt, I. A. J. de Valk, A. W. F. T. Toorians, J. M. Sepers, P. J. van Diest, and C. J. M. Lips Atypical MEN Type 2B Associated with Two Germline RET Mutations on the Same Allele Not Involving Codon 918 J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., January 1, 2002; 87(1): 393 - 397. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |