[Expression of Bcl-2 and Bax in human gastric cancer tissue].
Deregulation of bcl-2 may function as a survival mechanism in cancer cells, predisposed to cell death. Aberrant Bcl-2 expression is a frequent occurrence in chronic atrophic gastritis, gastric epithelial dysplasia and gastric cancer. Inhibition of apoptosis through Bcl-2 expression appears to be specifically associated with promotion of gastric adenocarcinoma. In addition, loss of heterozygosity of the bcl-2 gene is a common event in well-differentiated adenocarcinoma, whereas overexpression of bcl-2 gene is observed in poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. Bax, a homologue of Bcl-2, counters the death repressor activity of Bcl-2. In our study Bax immunostaining in gastric cancer tissue is not significantly correlated with tumor histology. Possible gene therapy using bax gene is discussed.
Komatsu
K
K
Third Department of Internal Medicine, Tohoku University School of Medicine.
Suzuki
S
S
Ohara
S
S
Asaki
S
S
Toyota
T
T
Suzuki
H
H
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology*; D017209:Apoptosis; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D006801:Humans; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein
C494826:BAX protein, human; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein