Isolation of multiple cell-binding ligands from different phage displayed-peptide libraries

A technical challenge in the development of biosensor devices for cancer detection and diagnosis is the identification of ligands that recognize cancer cells with high affinity and specificity. Furthermore, it is unlikely that one cell-binding ligand will provide sufficient biological information, thus, multiple ligands for a given cancer type will be needed for confident clinical diagnosis. Biopanning of phage displayed peptide libraries is a route to isolation of specific cell-binding reagents. A potential approach towards isolation of multiple ligands for a single cell type is to pan against the same cell type using different peptide libraries. Here we report the synthesis of a new 20-mer peptide-phage library and its use to select a peptide that binds to the large cell lung carcinoma cell line, H1299. The isolated phage clone binds H1299 cells 80 times better than a control phage and can distinguish between H1299 and normal control cells. The phage clone also binds to the lung pleura epidermoid cell line, Calu-1 but not to all lung carcinoma cell lines. The peptide is functional outside the context of the phage and tetramerization of the peptide on a trilysine core improves the affinity of the peptide. The tetrameric peptide can be used to deliver a fluorescent quantum dot to H1299 cells. Unexpectedly, the peptide shares sequence similarity to a previously isolated H1299-binding peptide isolated from a different 20-mer peptide library. Data suggests that the two peptides target the same cellular receptor. Our results imply that cell-based biopanning can isolate cell-binding ligands that may be of utility for cancer diagnosis, and isolation of cell-targeting peptides from different peptide libraries can expand the repertoire of cell-binding reagents.     

甲状腺癌组织中ALCAM 的表达及其与临床病理参数及预后的关系

目的:探讨甲状腺癌组织中活化白细胞黏附分子(activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule,ALCAM)的表达及其与临床病理参数及预后的关系。方法:选择2011年1月到2013年1月在我院确诊为甲状腺癌的患者60例作为研究对象。收集所有患者甲状腺癌组织及其癌旁正常组织标本,采用免疫组织化学法检测不同组织中ALCAM蛋白表达,分析其与甲状腺癌患者临床病理参数的相关性,并对所有患者随访3年以上,并记录3年生存率。结果:ALCAM蛋白在甲状腺癌组织中的总阳性率为71.67%,明显高于癌旁正常组织的31.67%(P0.05)。ALCAM蛋白在高分化型甲状腺癌组织中的表达率明显高于低分化及无分化型癌组织(P0.05)。ALCAM蛋白高表达的甲状腺癌患者的3年生存率为81.45%,明显高于ALCAM蛋白低表达者的51.32%(P0.05)。结论:组织中ALCAM蛋白表达与甲状腺癌的发生、发展及患者预后密切相关。     

A Dodecapeptide Selected by Phage Display as a Potential Theranostic Probe for Colon Cancers

AimColon cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality. However, specific biomarkers for its diagnosis or treatment are not established well.MethodsWe developed a colon-cancer specific peptide probe using phage display libraries. We validated the specificity of this probe to colon cancer cells with immunohistochemical staining and FACS analysis using one normal cell and five colon cancer cell lines.ResultsThis peptide probe maintained binding affinity even after serum incubation. For therapeutic applications, this peptide probe was conjugated to hematoporphyrin, a photosensitizer, which showed a significantly enhanced cellular uptake and high photodynamic effect to kill tumor cells. As another application, we made a nanoparticle modified from the peptide probe. It efficiently delivered SN-38, an anticancer drug, into tumor cells, and its tumor-targeting ability was observed in vivo after intravenous injection to the same xenograft model.ConclusionThe noble dodecapeptide probe can be a promising candidate for both colon tumor diagnosis and targeted drug delivery.     

Expression and Biologic Significance of Adiponectin Receptors in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

Obesity is associated with a higher incidence of thyroid cancer. Adiponectin is one of the most abundant adipokines with a pleiotropic role in metabolism and in the development and progression of cancer. It has been shown that circulating adiponectin level is inversely associated with the risk of thyroid cancer. This study aimed to investigate the possible association between the expression of adiponectin receptors (AdipoR1 and AdipoR2) and clinicopathological variables in papillary thyroid cancer. We found that protein levels of AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 were increased in some thyroid cancer specimens compared with adjacent normal thyroid tissues. Thyroid cancer cells expressed AdipoR1 and AdipoR2, which were attenuated by histone deacetylase inhibitors valproic acid and trichostatin A. Adiponectin stimulated AMP-activated protein kinase phosphorylation in thyroid cancer cells. We further determined the expression of AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 by immunohistochemical staining in primary tumor samples and metastatic lymph nodes. AdipoR1 was expressed in 27 % of primary tumors and AdipoR2 in 47 %. Negative expression of both adiponectin receptors was significantly associated with extrathyroidal invasion, multicentricity, and higher TNM stage. There was a trend toward decreased disease-free survival in patients with negative tumor expression of AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 (log-rank P = 0.051). Collectively, overexpression of adiponectin receptors was observed in some tumor tissues of papillary thyroid cancer and was associated with a better prognosis.     

Antigen-specific IgG antibodies in stage IV long-time survival breast cancer patients

BACKGROUND: Profiling the immune responses in patients with cancer is expected to facilitate the design of diagnostic tests and therapeutic vaccines. Such studies usually require the parental antigens. We attempted to profile the immune responses in patients with breast cancer using a peptide phage display selection strategy, which identifies antibody specificities whether or not the antigens are known. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A panel of random peptide phage libraries was panned on serum IgG antibodies from breast cancer patients with stage IV, seeking for disease specific IgG epitopes. ELISA, immunoscreening, and Western blotting techniques were the main approaches used. RESULTS: Phage-displayed peptides were specifically enriched for binding to IgG antibodies from patients with breast cancer. Several peptides have been identified, in particular the SQRIPARIHHFPTSI peptide, which was recognized by IgG antibodies from breast cancer patients, but not from normals (p < 0.0004). In patients who responded to the selected peptides, in particular the SQRIPARIHHFPTSI peptide, antibodies against a 66 kDa cellular protein were found. Interestingly, three out of six patients with the strongest immunoreactivity are still alive, with a mean survival time from first recurrence until now of 2553 days. In contrast, all the nonresponders (n = 10) are deceased. The mean survival time of these patients was 784 days, whereas the mean survival time of the three deceased responders was 1050 days (p < 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: The data provide the first example in which panning of peptide phage display libraries on patient IgG antibodies results in the isolation of breast cancer specific IgG epitopes, some of which correlate with patient survival time. Thus, the identified B-cell epitopes should be of great interest in vaccine development.     

Improving the affinity of antigens for mutated antibodies by use of statistical molecular design

We demonstrate the use of statistical molecular design (SMD) in the selection of peptide libraries aimed to systematically investigate antigen-antibody binding spaces. Earlier, we derived two novel antibodies by mutating the complementarity-determining region of the anti-p24 (HIV-1) single chain Fv antibody, CB4-1 that had lost their affinity for a p24 epitope-homologous peptide by 8- and 60-fold. The present study was devoted to explore how peptide libraries can be designed under experimental design criteria for effective screening of peptide antigens. Several small peptide-antigen libraries were selected using SMD principles and their activities were evaluated by their binding to SPOT-synthesized peptide membranes and by fluorescence polarization (FP). The approach was able to reveal the most critical residues required for antigen binding, and finally to increase the binding activity by proper modifications of amino acids in the peptide antigen. A model of the active peptide binding pocket formed by the mutated scFv and the antigen was compatible with the information gained from the experimental data. Our results suggest that SMD approaches can be used to explore peptide antigen features essential for their interactions with antibodies.     

COX-2和IL-1在甲状腺乳头状癌组织中的表达

目的探讨COX-2和IL-1在甲状腺乳头状癌组织中的表达及其在肿瘤的发生和发展中的作用。方法收集武汉大学人民医院和武汉大学中南医院病理科2000-2006年手术切除及活检的甲状腺乳头状癌标本共40例,另取癌周围组织5例作对照。采用免疫组织化学方法观察各组组织内COX-2和IL-1的表达。利用HPIAS-2000图像分析系统测定COX-2和IL-1在癌及癌旁组中表达的平均光密度和平均阳性面积率。结果甲状腺乳头状癌组织中COX-2和IL-1呈高表达;癌旁组织中COX-2和IL-1呈低表达。图像分析结果显示两组间差异有显著性意义（P〈0.01）。结论IL-1可能通过诱导COX-2的表达,在促进肿瘤的发生和发展中起作用。     

Birthweight and risk of thyroid cancer and its histological types: A large cohort study

BackgroundThe aetiology of thyroid cancer is poorly understood, but it is possible that this malignancy has origins early in life. It is, however, currently unknown if birthweight, as an indicator of prenatal growth, is related to thyroid cancer risk.ObjectiveTo investigate if birthweight is associated with the later risk of thyroid cancer and its histological types.Methods246,141 children (120,505 girls, 125,636 boys) from the Copenhagen School Health Records Register, born 1936–1989, were prospectively followed in the Danish Cancer Registry. Cox regressions were used to estimate hazards ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).ResultsDuring follow up, 241 individuals (172 women, 69 men) were diagnosed with thyroid cancer (162 papillary, 53 follicular). Birthweight was significantly and positively associated with risk of thyroid cancer overall (HR = 1.30 [95% CI: 1.03–1.64] per kilogram). There were no sex differences in the associations. Birthweight was positively and significantly associated with follicular thyroid cancer (HR = 1.74 [95% CI: 1.07–2.82] per kilogram), and although there was an indication of a positive association, it did not reach statistical significance for the more common papillary type (HR = 1.20 [95% CI: 0.90–1.59] per kilogram).ConclusionA heavier weight at birth is associated with an elevated risk of total and follicular thyroid cancer, which underscores that prenatal exposures may be important in thyroid cancer aetiology.     

Identification of MST1/STK4 and SULF1 proteins as autoantibody targets for the diagnosis of colorectal cancer by using phage microarrays

The characterization of the humoral response in cancer patients is becoming a practical alternative to improve early detection. We prepared phage microarrays containing colorectal cancer cDNA libraries to identify phage-expressed peptides recognized by tumor-specific autoantibodies from patient sera. From a total of 1536 printed phages, 128 gave statistically significant values to discriminate cancer patients from control samples. From this, 43 peptide sequences were unique following DNA sequencing. Six phages containing homologous sequences to STK4/MST1, SULF1, NHSL1, SREBF2, GRN, and GTF2I were selected to build up a predictor panel. A previous study with high-density protein microarrays had identified STK4/MST1 as a candidate biomarker. An independent collection of 153 serum samples (50 colorectal cancer sera and 103 reference samples, including healthy donors and sera from other related pathologies) was used as a validation set to study prediction capability. A combination of four phages and two recombinant proteins, corresponding to MST1 and SULF1, achieved an area under the curve of 0.86 to correctly discriminate cancer from healthy sera. Inclusion of sera from other different neoplasias did not change significantly this value. For early stages (A+B), the corrected area under the curve was 0.786. Moreover, we have demonstrated that MST1 and SULF1 proteins, homologous to phage-peptide sequences, can replace the original phages in the predictor panel, improving their diagnostic accuracy.     

Immunoreactive atrial natriuretic peptide in the thyroid gland

Human thyroid follicles and primary cell cultures derived from them demonstrated atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP)-like immunoreactivity when stained with a monoclonal antibody raised against rat alpha-ANP (ANP 1-28). In thyroid sections the staining was most intense in the tall cuboidal epithelium of small follicles. The intracellular distribution of immunoreactive (ir)-ANP in primary cultures of thyroid follicular cells consisted of discrete granules with a largely perinuclear distribution. The granule density increased with time in culture but was unaffected by exogenous ANP, suggesting an intrinsic synthesis of the immunoreactivity. Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH; thyrotropin) failed to alter the distribution of ir-ANP after either short-term (6 h) or long-term (1-12 day) exposure. Epinephrine or norepinephrine treatment, however, caused a reduction in the ir-ANP granularity compared with controls in what might represent a stimulated release of the immunoreactivity. The present results suggest that the peptide ANP coexists with thyroid hormones in follicular cells and that the two endocrine activities might be under separate control mechanisms.     

Programmed Cell Death–Ligand 1 Overexpression in Thyroid Cancer

Objective: Programmed cell death–ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression on tumor tissue has been associated with favorable response to anti–programmed cell death–receptor 1/PD-L1 therapy in many human cancers. Studies have reported that PD-L1 is also expressed in thyroid cancer. The objective of this paper is to introduce the potential predictive and therapeutic values of PD-L1 in thyroid cancer.Methods: A literature search was conducted in the PubMed database using the terms “PD-L1,” “B7-H1,” and “thyroid cancer.” PD-L1 positivity was determined by immunohistochemical assay.Results: The frequency of PD-L1 positivity in different studies ranged from 6.1 to 82.5% in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) patients and 22.2 to 81.2% in anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) patients. PD-L1 positivity rate was higher in ATC than in PTC within the same studies, and its expression intensity was significantly higher in tumor tissue than in the corresponding nontumor thyroid tissues. Moreover, PD-L1 expression was positively associated with the aggressiveness and recurrence of thyroid cancers and negatively associated with the differentiation status and outcomes. PD-L1 checkpoint pathway blockade may emerge as a promising therapeutic target in the treatment of thyroid cancers.Conclusion: PD-L1 is a potential biomarker to predict the recurrence and prognosis of thyroid cancers. It is also a novel immunotherapy target for optimizing the management landscape of radioiodine-refractory and ATCs.Abbreviations: ATC = anaplastic thyroid cancer; DTC = differentiated thyroid cancer; IHC = immunohistochemical; OS = overall survival; PD-1 = programmed cell death–receptor 1; PD-L1 = programmed cell death–ligand 1; PD-L2 = programmed cell death–ligand 2; PTC = papillary thyroid cancer; TNM = tumor-node-metastasis; Treg = regulatory T cell     

血浆HSP60 和TSGF联合检测甲状腺癌的早期诊断价值

目的:究血浆热休克蛋白-60(HSP60)与肿瘤特异性生长因子(TSGF)联合检测对甲状腺癌的早期诊断价值。方法:于2011年1月~2015年11月期间选取254例甲状腺癌患者(定为甲状腺癌组)、156例结节性甲状腺肿患者(结节性甲状腺肿组)和202例健康者(健康组)为研究对象,采用ELISA法检测三组血浆HSP60、TSGF水平,分析其与甲状腺癌病理因素的关系及诊断的敏感度和特异度。结果:甲状腺癌组的血浆HSP60、TSGF水平均显著高于结节性甲状腺肿组以及健康组,且结节性甲状腺肿组高于健康组,差异均具有统计学意义(P0.05)。甲状腺癌患者血浆HSP60、TSGF水平与年龄、性别、临床分期均无相关性(P0.05)。血浆HSP60、TSGF单独诊断甲状腺癌的敏感度和特异度分别为68.75%、81.82%和83.33%、71.88%,两者联合诊断的敏感度和特异度则分别达到了88.89%和86.72%。结论:在甲状腺癌的早期诊断中,采用血浆HSP60和TSGF联合检测的方式可靠性较高,值得推广应用。     

青岛地区某医院12年甲状腺癌发病模式变迁

目的:探讨青岛地区某医院12年甲状腺癌的发病趋势和病理类型分布。方法:回顾性分析2001-2012年于青岛大学附属医院行手术切除的甲状腺癌患者的发病年龄、性别比例、手术数量以及病理类型构成比的变化。结果:12年来手术治疗甲状腺癌2421例,其中乳头状癌(PTC)占94.13%,滤泡状癌(FTC)占3.02%,髓样癌(MTC)占2.15%,未分化癌(ATC)占0.70%。甲状腺癌手术数量呈逐年递增趋势,尤以近4年升高显著,其病理类型以PTC为主,构成比例由79.63%上升至97.47%。四类甲状腺癌均以女性多见(男女比例1:1.38-1:4.37)。甲状腺癌的平均确诊年龄为46.80岁,PTC最低(46.48岁),ATC最高(64.25岁)。结论:青岛地区甲状腺癌发病数量呈逐年递增趋势,PTC是最常见的病理类型,其构成比例上升明显,其他类型相对下降。PTC的发病可能与高碘有关。     

Extending the coverage of spectral libraries: A neighbor‐based approach to predicting intensities of peptide fragmentation spectra

Searching spectral libraries in MS/MS is an important new approach to improving the quality of peptide and protein identification. The idea relies on the observation that ion intensities in an MS/MS spectrum of a given peptide are generally reproducible across experiments, and thus, matching between spectra from an experiment and the spectra of previously identified peptides stored in a spectral library can lead to better peptide identification compared to the traditional database search. However, the use of libraries is greatly limited by their coverage of peptide sequences: even for well‐studied organisms a large fraction of peptides have not been previously identified. To address this issue, we propose to expand spectral libraries by predicting the MS/MS spectra of peptides based on the spectra of peptides with similar sequences. We first demonstrate that the intensity patterns of dominant fragment ions between similar peptides tend to be similar. In accordance with this observation, we develop a neighbor‐based approach that first selects peptides that are likely to have spectra similar to the target peptide and then combines their spectra using a weighted K‐nearest neighbor method to accurately predict fragment ion intensities corresponding to the target peptide. This approach has the potential to predict spectra for every peptide in the proteome. When rigorous quality criteria are applied, we estimate that the method increases the coverage of spectral libraries available from the National Institute of Standards and Technology by 20–60%, although the values vary with peptide length and charge state. We find that the overall best search performance is achieved when spectral libraries are supplemented by the high quality predicted spectra.     

Sixty years of follow-up of Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivors: current progress in molecular epidemiology studies

This article provides an overview of the on-going molecular epidemiology studies among atomic-bomb survivors conducted at the Radiation Effects Research Foundation in Japan. The focus is on: (a) inter-individual variations in sensitivity to radiation-induced somatic mutations (glycophorin A (GPA) mutations) and their potential relevance to differences in susceptibility to radiation-related cancers and (b) the role of specific mutations/rearrangements in radiation-induced thyroid and colorectal cancers. The glycophorin A mutant fractions showed large differences between the survivors at each of the estimated bone marrow doses. Of note is the finding at doses>or=1 Gy; that the slope of the mutant fraction was significantly higher in the 'cancer group' than in the 'non-cancer group'. This study provided the basis for validating the use of gammaH2AX and reticulocyte micronucleus assays for evaluating radiosensitivity differences and genetic instability, respectively, in our studies in the coming years. Preliminary results from our molecular oncology studies on adult-onset papillary thyroid cancer provide evidence for the induction of RET/PTC rearrangements and BRAF point mutation (both known to be early stage events in adult-onset papillary thyroid cancer) but with a difference: cases associated with the rearrangements were more frequent at high doses, and developed sooner than those with BRAF mutation. In the case of colorectal cancer, the results suggest that radiation exposure might influence microsatellite instability (MSI) status through MSI-related epigenetic and genetic alterations-processes that might occur in the early stage of colorectal carcinogenesis.     

Bacterial surface display library screening by target enzyme labeling: Identification of new human cathepsin G inhibitors

The aim of this study was to establish a new tool for screening surface displayed peptide libraries based on the idea that cells expressing an enzyme inhibitor at the surface can be specifically labeled by the target enzyme. For this purpose peptide P15, exhibiting a K(i) value of 0.25 microM toward human cathepsin G, was expressed on the Escherichia coli cell surface by the use of Autodisplay. Purified cathepsin G was coupled to biotin and incubated with cells expressing the inhibitor. After addition of streptavidin-fluorescein isothiocyanate, these cells could be clearly differentiated from control cells by whole-cell fluorescence using flow cytometer analysis. To determine whether this protocol can be used for the sorting of single cells, a mixed population of cells with and without inhibitor was treated accordingly. Single cells were selected by increased fluorescence and sorted using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Single cell clones were obtained and subjected to DNA sequence analysis. It turned out that the bacteria selected by this protocol displayed the correct peptide inhibitor at the cell surface. The protocol was then used to screen random peptide libraries, expressed at the cell surface, and a new lead structure for human cathepsin G (IC50 = 11.7 microM) was identified. The new drug discovery tool presented here consists of three steps: (a) surface display of peptide libraries, (b) selection of single cells with inhibiting structures by using the inherent affinity of the target enzyme, and (c) sorting of single cells, which were labeled by FACS.     

Altered expression of key players in vitamin D metabolism and signaling in malignant and benign thyroid tumors

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D(3) (1,25(OH)(2)D(3)), the active form of vitamin D, mediates antitumor effects in various cancers. The expression of key players in vitamin D signaling in thyroid tumors was investigated. Vitamin D receptor (VDR) and CYP27B1 and CYP24A1 (respectively activating and catabolizing vitamin D) expression was studied (RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry) in normal thyroid, follicular adenoma (FA), differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) consisting of the papillary (PTC) and follicular (FTC) subtype, and anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC). VDR, CYP27B1, and CYP24A1 expression was increased in FA and DTC compared with normal thyroid. However, in PTC with lymph node metastasis, VDR and CYP24A1 were decreased compared with non-metastasized PTC. In ATC, VDR expression was often lost, whereas CYP27B1/CYP24A1 expression was comparable to DTC. Moreover, ATC with high Ki67 expression (>30%) or distant metastases at diagnosis was characterized by more negative VDR/CYP24A1/CYP27B1 staining. In conclusion, increased expression of key players involved in local 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) signaling was demonstrated in benign and differentiated malignant thyroid tumors, but a decrease was observed for local nodal and especially distant metastasis, suggesting a local antitumor response of 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) in early cancer stages. These findings advocate further studies with 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) and analogs in persistent and recurrent iodine-refractory DTC.     

夏枯草诱导人甲状腺乳头状癌细胞K1增殖和凋亡的影响及其作用机制

目的:探索夏枯草对人甲状腺乳头状癌细胞(K1)增殖和诱导K1细胞凋亡的影响及其可能的作用机制。方法:采用MTT比色法测定2~200 mg/mL夏枯草作用24 h对K1细胞增殖的影响;采用Hoechst染色法和流式细胞术(Annexin V-FITC/PI联合标记)观察0.3、0.6、1.2、2.4、4.8 mg/mL夏枯草作用24 h K1细胞凋亡的影响;采用蛋白质免疫印迹法(Western blotting)测定1.2、2.4、4.8 mg/mL夏枯草作用24h对K1细胞凋亡相关蛋白表达的影响。结果:在2~200 mg/mL的浓度范围内夏枯草作用24 h对K1细胞增殖有明显抑制作用(P0.05),IC50值为2.427 mg/mL。流式细胞术检测结果显示夏枯草可诱导K1细胞凋亡,2.4、4.8 mg/mL组K1细胞总凋亡率分别为(11.35±0.92)%、(44.57±3.07)%,与对照组相比明显升高(P0.05);与对照组相比,1.2、2.4、4.8 mg/mL夏枯草作用24 h胞浆内凋亡蛋白Bax、细胞色素C(Cyto C)、Caspase-9、活化的Caspase-3(Cleaved Caspase-3)表达增多。结论:夏枯草能抑制人甲状腺癌K1细胞增殖并诱导其凋亡,其机制可能与活化线粒体凋亡通路有关。     

Anticancer activity of CopA3 dimer peptide in human gastric cancer cells

CopA3 is a homodimeric α-helical peptide derived from coprisin which is a defensin-like antimicrobial peptide that was identified from the dung beetle, Copris tripartitus. CopA3 has been reported to have anticancer activity against leukemia cancer cells. In the present study, we investigated the anticancer activity of CopA3 in human gastric cancer cells. CopA3 reduced cell viability and it was cytotoxic to gastric cancer cells in the MTS and LDH release assay, respectively. CopA3 was shown to induce necrotic cell death of the gastric cancer cells by flow cytometric analysis and acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining. CopA3-induced cell death was mediated by specific interactions with phosphatidylserine, a membrane component of cancer cells. Taken together, these data indicated that CopA3 mainly caused necrosis of gastric cancer cells, probably through interactions with phosphatidylserine, which suggests the potential utility of CopA3 as a cancer therapeutic. [BMB Reports 2015; 48(6): 324-329]     

Evaluation of p53 and soluble Fas ligand (sFasL) serum level concentration as indicators of apoptosis in serum of patients with benign and malignant primary follicular thyroid tumors

INTRODUCTION: Apoptosis (programmed cell death) is the best described mode of physiological cell death. During embryonal development and morphogenesis, apoptosis may be induced by two pathways. The first is external protein signal originating from other cell--also named as "death signal". Another one is specific cell reaction for external stress factors. Blood concentration of proteins regulating both pathways of apoptosis may be useful in early diagnosis and staging of thyroid tumors. The aim of study was evaluation of p53 and sFasL blood concentration in patients with benign follicular adenoma and follicular thyroid cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study population was composed of 28 patients: 14 with thyroid carcinoma and 14 patients with follicular neoplasm (NF). All patients underwent surgical treatment. P53 and sFasL levels were evaluated before surgery and related to the histopathological diagnosis obtained post-surgery. RESULTS: The analysis revealed high sFasL blood concentration in patients with follicular thyroid cancer in comparison with the group with follicular adenoma. There was no statistically significant difference between levels of p53 in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Evaluation of sFasL serum level concentration may be useful in preoperative diagnosis of follicular thyroid tumors.