Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) consist of nucleic acid molecules that are greater than 200 nucleotides in length and they do not code for specific proteins. A growing body of evidence indicates that these lncRNAs have important roles in tumorigenesis. Separating adrenal cortical adenomas from carcinomas is often a difficult problem for the surgical pathologist. This is especially true when only small needle biopsies are available for examination. We used in situ hybridization (ISH) analysis to study normal adrenal cortical tissues and adrenal cortical tumors to determine the role of specific lncRNAs in tumor development and classification. The lncRNAS studied included metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1), psoriasis susceptibility-related RNA gene induced by stress (PRINS), and HOX antisense intergenic RNA myeloid 1 (HAM1). We constructed a tissue microarray (TMA) for the studies and also analyzed a subset of cases by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Two 1-mm duplicate cores of normal adrenal cortex (NAC) (n = 23), adrenal cortical adenomas (ACAs) (n = 95), and adrenal cortical carcinomas (ACCs), (n = 20) were used on the TMA. The results of ISH were analyzed by image analysis. ISH showed predominantly nuclear expression of lncRNAs in adrenal cortical tissues. MALAT1 showed more expression in ACCs than in NAC and ACA (p < 0.05). PRINS had higher expression in NACs and ACAs than in ACCs. The lncRNAs MALAT1, PRINS, and HAM1 are all expressed in normal and neoplastic adrenal cortical tissues. MALAT1 had the highest expression in ACC compared to ACAs and may have a role in ACC development.

长链非编码 RNA (lncRNA) 由长度超过 200 个核苷酸的核酸分子组成，它们不编码特定蛋白质。越来越多的证据表明这些 lncRNA 在肿瘤发生中具有重要作用。对于外科病理学家来说，将肾上腺皮质腺瘤与癌分离通常是一个难题。当只有小针活检可供检查时尤其如此。我们使用原位杂交 (ISH) 分析来研究正常肾上腺皮质组织和肾上腺皮质肿瘤，以确定特定 lncRNA 在肿瘤发展和分类中的作用。研究的lncRNAS包括转移相关肺腺癌转录本1（MALAT1）、应激诱导的银屑病易感性相关RNA基因（PRINS）)，和 HOX 反义基因间 RNA 髓样 1 ( HAM1 )。我们为研究构建了组织微阵列 (TMA)，并通过定量逆转录酶聚合酶链反应 (qRT-PCR) 分析了一部分病例。 在 TMA 上使用了正常肾上腺皮质 (NAC) ( n  = 23)、肾上腺皮质腺瘤 (ACA) ( n  = 95) 和肾上腺皮质癌 (ACC) ( n = 20) 的两个 1 毫米重复核心。通过图像分析分析ISH的结果。ISH 显示肾上腺皮质组织中 lncRNA 的主要核表达。MALAT1在 ACCs 中的表达高于 NAC 和 ACA（p  < 0.05）。普林斯NACs 和 ACAs 中的表达高于 ACCs。lncRNAs MALAT1、PRINS和HAM1都在正常和肿瘤肾上腺皮质组织中表达。与 ACA 相比，MALAT1在 ACC 中的表达最高，并且可能在 ACC 的发展中起作用。