Upregulated MYC expression and p53 mutations may contribute to the oncogenesis of canine Meibomian gland carcinomas.

PubMed ID: 36541627

Author(s): Peterson C, Hicks JL, De Marzo AM, Campbell AA, Eberhart CG, Dubielzig RR, Teixeira LB. Upregulated MYC expression and p53 mutations may contribute to the oncogenesis of canine Meibomian gland carcinomas. Vet Pathol. 2023 Mar;60(2):185-189. doi: 10.1177/03009858221143400. Epub 2022 Dec 21. PMID 36541627

Journal: Veterinary Pathology, Volume 60, Issue 2, Mar 2023

Sebaceous carcinomas of the human ocular adnexa commonly exhibit pagetoid spread, mutations in tumor-suppressor genes, and protooncogene copy number gain. Sebaceous carcinomas are rarely reported in other species, and while the Meibomian gland (MG) represents the most common ocular adnexal structure of the canine eyelid to develop neoplasia, most are clinically and histologically benign. The objective of this study was to compare molecular features of canine MG carcinomas and adenomas. Two retrospectively identified MG carcinomas were subject to immunohistochemistry and qPCR. When compared with normal glands, MYC was upregulated in benign and malignant MG neoplasms. Aberrant p53 expression was restricted to the nuclei of intraepithelial neoplastic cells in MG carcinomas. Adipophilin expression was diminished in MG neoplasms compared with the normal MG. Our findings, if confirmed in a larger cohort of cases, could suggest that MG oncogenesis in a dog may exhibit similar molecular features as their human counterparts.