APMIS, cilt.120, sa.9, ss.689-698, 2012 (SCI-Expanded)
Thymosin beta-4 (T beta 4) is a major actin-sequestering molecule that contributes to cell growth, differentiation, motility, survival, mitosis and angiogenesis. It is overexpressed in certain type of carcinoma and fibrosarcoma cell lines and is associated with metastatic potential. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between T beta 4 expression and clinicopathologic features and VEGF status in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). Retrospectively, 60 GISTs were re-examined and immunohistochemistry for T beta 4 and VEGF was performed. Increased expression of T beta 4 and VEGF was observed in 26 (43.3%) and in 19 (31.6%) of the tumors, respectively. T beta 4 expression was positively correlated with VEGF expression (p similar to