NANOG and apparent mineralocorticoid excess: In our immunohistochemical analysis, the expression of SOX-2, NANOG and OCT4 was observed both in the periphery and central cells of the nests and epithelial cords, which may be related to the broad expression of these factors in the development of AME, considering that the SCs of the dental lamina are possible targets of carcinogenic agents (Harada et al., 2002).