PYGO2 and MAML1 expression linked to early-stage papillary thyroid cancer

Researchers studying papillary thyroid carcinoma report that the transcriptional co-activators PYGO2 and MAML1 show expression patterns tied to early tumor stages, leading them to propose the two genes as candidate early-stage diagnostic markers for the disease.

The team collected sixty paraffin-embedded papillary thyroid carcinoma tumors along with corresponding normal tissues. Using real-time PCR, they measured mRNA levels of MAML1, a co-activator in the NOTCH signaling pathway, and PYGO2, a co-activator in the WNT pathway. Both pathways are known to regulate cell proliferation, differentiation, and tumor progression in papillary thyroid carcinoma, and the authors set out to determine whether expression of these two genes was associated with the clinicopathological characteristics of the patients.

The results showed several statistically significant associations. Early-stage tumors, classified as stage I or II, had significantly higher levels of PYGO2 expression than advanced stage III or IV tumors, with a p-value of 0.04. Tumors that had invaded beyond the thyroid gland showed significantly lower PYGO2 expression than tumors without such invasion, at p = 0.034. A parallel pattern emerged for MAML1: early-stage tumors displayed significant upregulation of MAML1 compared with advanced-stage tumors, with a p-value of 0.038.

The analysis also uncovered additional correlations. Among female patients, MAML1 expression was significantly associated with tumor focality, meaning whether the tumor was unifocal or multifocal, with a p-value of 0.025. Finally, the levels of MAML1 and PYGO2 expression showed a significant direct correlation with each other across the patient samples, reported at p = 0.013. The authors interpret this coordinated expression pattern as consistent with the two genes acting in parallel within their respective signaling pathways during tumor development.

Based on these findings, the study concludes that MAML1 and PYGO2 appear to be involved in the early stages of papillary thyroid carcinoma development and can be introduced as early-stage diagnostic markers among patients with this tumor type. The authors note that although most papillary thyroid carcinoma patients have a favorable prognosis, a considerable proportion experience tumor relapse, which motivates the search for molecular markers that clarify the mechanisms underlying tumor development. The work was published on 24 October 2026 as a peer-reviewed, accepted manuscript shared early to provide faster access, and it is citable under a permanent DOI pending the final version of record. As with any single-cohort expression study of sixty tumor samples, the reported associations will require validation in independent patient populations before any clinical use as diagnostic markers can be considered.

Subject of Research: Expression of the transcriptional co-activators PYGO2 and MAML1 in papillary thyroid carcinoma and their association with early tumor stage

Article Title: PYGO2 and MAML1 as the early stage tumor markers in papillary thyroid cancer patients

Article References: Maharati, A., Taghavinia, F., Taghehchian, N., Farrokhi, S., & Moghbeli, M. (2026). PYGO2 and MAML1 as the early stage tumor markers in papillary thyroid cancer patients. Diagnostic Pathology. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13000-026-01866-9

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s13000-026-01866-9

Keywords: papillary thyroid carcinoma, PYGO2, MAML1, NOTCH signaling, WNT signaling, gene expression, real-time PCR, diagnostic markers, tumor stage, thyroid cancer, molecular markers, Diagnostic Pathology