Phosphorylated c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase is overexpressed in human papillary thyroid carcinomas and associates with lymph node metastasis

To evaluate the associations of phosphorylated c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (p-JNK) expression with clinicopathological features in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma, p-JNK expression were immunohistochemically measured in 121 thyroid samples. p-JNK was overexpressed in papillary thyroid carcinomas with respect to matched nontumorous tissues (P = 0.000), which was supported by western blot analysis. Increased p-JNK expression was significantly associated with the presence of lymph node metastases (P = 0.001) and advanced TNM stages (P = 0.02). Furthermore, p-JNK expression was positively correlated with osteopontin (OPN) expression (r = 0.58, P < 0.001). Activation of p-JNK may play a role in the carcinogenesis and lymph node metastasis of papillary thyroid carcinoma, and may be a molecular target for therapeutic intervention.