Mammaglobin B gene as a novel marker for lymph node micrometastasis in patients with abdominal cancers.
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.
Aihara
T
T
Department of Surgery II, Osaka University Medical School, Suita, Japan. aiharat@kanrou.net
Fujiwara
Y
Y
Miyake
Y
Y
Okami
J
J
Okada
Y
Y
Iwao
K
K
Sugita
Y
Y
Tomita
N
N
Sakon
M
M
Shiozaki
H
H
Monden
M
M
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*
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