title: Expression of amphiregulin, a novel gene of the epidermal growth factor family, in human gastric carcinomas.
abstract: The expression of mRNA for amphiregulin (AR), a novel gene of the epidermal growth factor family, was examined in 8 human gastric carcinoma cell lines and 32 gastric carcinoma tissues as well as corresponding normal mucosa. Of the 8 gastric carcinoma cell lines, 7 expressed 1.4 kb AR mRNA at various levels. The expression of AR mRNA by TMK-1 and MKN-28 cells was increased by treatment with epidermal growth factor or transforming growth factor a. In surgical cases, all the gastric carcinoma tissues and their adjacent normal mucosa expressed AR mRNA. Interestingly, 20 (62.5%) out of 32 tumors expressed AR mRNA at higher levels than their corresponding normal mucosas (tumor/normal > or = 1.2). No obvious correlation was observed between the AR mRNA levels and the histological types or tumor staging of gastric carcinoma. Immunohistochemically, AR protein was localized to the cytoplasm and/or nucleus in tumor cells. These results suggest that AR produced by tumor cells may be involved in the pathogenesis and/or progression of human gastric carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Pathology, Hiroshima University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kitadai
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yasui
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yokozaki
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kuniyasu
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ayhan
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Haruma
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kajiyama
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tahara
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D066258:Amphiregulin; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D066255:EGF Family of Proteins; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D006133:Growth Substances / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry*; D016211:Transforming Growth Factor alpha / Q000494:pharmacology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: C587848:AREG protein, human; D066258:Amphiregulin; D066255:EGF Family of Proteins; D006023:Glycoproteins; D006133:Growth Substances; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016211:Transforming Growth Factor alpha; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor