Expression of mTOR signaling pathway in adrenocortical tumour and its relationship with cell invasion and angiogenesis

Objective:To study the expression of mTOR signaling pathway in adrenocortical tumour and its relationship with cell invasion and angiogenesis.Methods:Adrenocortical malignant tumor tissues and normal adrenal cortex tissues surgically removed in the Third People's Hospital of Huizhou Guangdong Province between September 2014 and February 2018 were selected, the protein was extracted to determine the expression of mTOR signaling molecules, and the RNA was extracted to determine the mRNA expression of cell invasion molecules and angiogenesis molecules.Results: p-PI3K, p-AKT, p-mTOR, p-S6K1 and p-4E-BP1 protein expression as well as MMP2, MMP9, PKC , VEGF and nm23-H1 mRNA expression in adrenocortical malignant tumor tissue were significantly higher than those in normal adrenal cortex tissue whereas PCAF, E-cadherin and TSP1 mRNA expression were significantly lower than those in normal adrenal cortex tissue;Pearson correlation analysis showed that p-PI3K, p-AKT, p-mTOR, p-S6K1 and p-4E-BP1 protein expression in adrenocortical malignant tumor tissue were negatively correlated with PCAF, E-cadherin and TSP1 mRNA expression, and positively correlated with MMP2, MMP9, PKC , VEGF and nm23-H1 mRNA expression.Conclusion:The excessive activation of mTOR signaling pathway in adrenocortical malignant tumor can promote cell invasion and angiogenesis.