TY - JOUR T1 - Smad4/DPC4 JF - Journal of Clinical Pathology JO - J Clin Pathol SP - 661 LP - 664 DO - 10.1136/jclinpath-2018-205095 VL - 71 IS - 8 AU - Aoife J McCarthy AU - Runjan Chetty Y1 - 2018/08/01 UR - http://jcp.bmj.com/content/71/8/661.abstract N2 - Smad4 or DPC4 belongs to a family of signal transduction proteins that are phosphorylated and activated by transmembrane serine-threonine receptor kinases in response to transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling via several pathways. The gene acts as a tumour suppressor gene and inactivation of smad4/DPC4 is best recognised in pancreatic cancer. However, smad4/DPC4 is also mutated in other conditions and cancers such as juvenile polyposis syndrome with and without hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia, colorectal and prostate cancers.Immunohistochemistry for smad4/DPC4 protein is most useful in separating benign/reactive conditions from pancreatic cancer in needle/core biopsies. In normal and reactive states, the protein is localised to the cytoplasm and nucleus, while the protein is lost in high-grade pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia/carcinoma in situ and pancreatic cancer. ER -