RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Smad4/DPC4
JF Journal of Clinical Pathology
JO J Clin Pathol
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Association of Clinical Pathologists
SP 661
OP 664
DO 10.1136/jclinpath-2018-205095
VO 71
IS 8
A1 McCarthy, Aoife J
A1 Chetty, Runjan
YR 2018
UL http://jcp.bmj.com/content/71/8/661.abstract
AB Smad4 or DPC4 belongs to a family of signal transduction proteins that are phosphorylated and activated by transmembrane serine-threonine receptor kinases in response to transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling via several pathways. The gene acts as a tumour suppressor gene and inactivation of smad4/DPC4 is best recognised in pancreatic cancer. However, smad4/DPC4 is also mutated in other conditions and cancers such as juvenile polyposis syndrome with and without hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia, colorectal and prostate cancers.Immunohistochemistry for smad4/DPC4 protein is most useful in separating benign/reactive conditions from pancreatic cancer in needle/core biopsies. In normal and reactive states, the protein is localised to the cytoplasm and nucleus, while the protein is lost in high-grade pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia/carcinoma in situ and pancreatic cancer.