Expression of the transcription factor PITX2 in ameloblastic carcinoma.

Ameloblastic carcinoma is a rare odontogenic tumour that combines the histological features of ameloblastoma with cytological atypia. Until 2005, the incidence of ameloblastic carcinoma was unknown, and since then, fewer than 60 cases have been reported. These tumours may originate from pre-existing tumours or cysts, or they arise de novo from the activation or transformation of embryological cells. PITX2 is a transcription factor that is a product and regulator of the WNT cell signalling pathway, which has been involved in development of several tumours. To analyse whether PITX2 could be involved in the biological behaviour of ameloblastic carcinoma, we analysed the expression of this transcription factor in a sample of this tumour and nine benign ameloblastomas to compare. The results of Western blotting and RT-PCR analyses were positive, and considering the hundreds of genes that PITX2 regulates, we believe that its expression could be intimately linked to the behaviour of ameloblastic carcinoma and possibly other odontogenic lesions.