title: Mammaglobin B gene as a novel marker for lymph node micrometastasis in patients with abdominal cancers.
abstract: Mammaglobin B is a recently-isolated gene speculated to belong to the uteroglobin gene family and is overexpressed in primary breast cancers. We investigated mammaglobin B mRNA expression in various cancers of the digestive system. Given the absence of mammaglobin B expression in normal lymph nodes, we also assessed the usefulness of mammaglobin B as a marker for lymph node micrometastases in cancer patients. Mammaglobin B gene transcripts were frequently detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay in primary tumors of the esophagus (2/3), stomach (7/7), colon (15/15), pancreas (4/6), common bile duct (6/6), cholangioma (2/2) and gall bladder (1/1). Mammaglobin B overexpression was observed in three of 15 cases (20%) of colon cancer, suggesting its possible contribution to colon carcinogenesis. Down-regulated mammaglobin B expression was observed in hepatoma cells in comparison with corresponding non-cancerous livers (3/3). RT-PCR assay of mammaglobin B detected 14 of 15 histologically positive lymph nodes from patients with gastric cancer, colon cancer and cholangioma. Seven of 32 (22%), three of nine (33%), and three of seven (43%) histologically negative nodes from patients with gastric, colon and cholangiocellular carcinoma, respectively, were found to express mammaglobin B mRNA. Our results showed that expression of mammaglobin B was frequently detected in cancers originating in digestive organs, especially adenocarcinomas, and that mammaglobin B gene detected by RT-PCR may be a potentially useful molecular marker for lymph node micrometastases of various digestive organ cancers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery II, Osaka University Medical School, Suita, Japan. aiharat@kanrou.net
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aihara
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fujiwara
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miyake
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Okami
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iwao
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sugita
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tomita
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sakon
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shiozaki
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Monden
mesh_terms: D000008:Abdominal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics; D002759:Adenoma, Bile Duct / Q000235:genetics; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000378:metabolism; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000235:genetics*; D060788:Mammaglobin B; D009185:Myelin Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D011510:Proteolipids; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D060765:Secretoglobins; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics; D014598:Uteroglobin / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D060788:Mammaglobin B; D009185:Myelin Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D011510:Proteolipids; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C556467:SCGB2A1 protein, human; D060765:Secretoglobins; D014598:Uteroglobin