Immunocytochemical and immunoelectron microscopical analysis of BCL2 expression in thyroid oxyphilic tumors

In both human lymphoma and carcinoma, BCL2 expression contributes to the neoplastic development by preventing normal turnover due to programmed cell death. In thyroid carcinoma it was shown that BCL2 expression is related to cell differentiation and appears to be associated with a less aggressive behavior. Using immunogold electron microscopy labeling techniques on ultrathin frozen sections, the authors undertook an analysis of bcl-2 protein localization in 7 cases of thyroid tumor with (4 cases) or without (3 cases) oncocytic differentiation, which displayed histopathological features, corresponding to different degree of aggressiveness. All thyroid tumors and a lymphoblastoid cell line overexpressing BCL2 showed a preferential labeling of mitochondrial circumference, while the 4 cases with oncocytic differentiation displayed a bcl-2 protein location, not only on the circumference but also on the cristae of a consistent number of mitochondria. These results may indicate a bcl-2 protein interaction with intramitochondrial constituents related to the neoplastic transformation in oncocytic tumor.