The intra-nucleus integration of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)in cervical mucosa cells and its relation with c-myc expression

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between the integration of mitochondrial DNA(mtDNA) in the nuclei of cervical epithelium cells and the expression of c-myc. METHODS: The expression of c-myc protein was measured by immunohistochemical test in 40 cases of the uterine cervix cancer, 30 cases of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and 30 cases of normal cervical epithelium; the sequence of mtDNA in the nuclei was detected by in situ hybridization technique. RESULTS: The detection rates of mtDNA in the nuclei of cervical epithelium cells were 27.5%, 13.3% and 0% in cervical carcinoma, CIN, and normal cervical epithelium respectively. The expression rate of c-myc in cervical mucoma cells was 67% in the mtDNA sequence positive group and was significantly higher than that in the negative group (36%). CONCLUSION: The integration of mtDNA into the nuclei of cervical epithelium cells may be involved in the carcinogenesis of cervical epithelium cells and the expression of c-myc might be related to the integration of mtDNA sequence into nuclei of cervical epithelium cells.