title: Mucin (MUC) gene expression in human pancreatic adenocarcinoma and chronic pancreatitis: a potential role of MUC4 as a tumor marker of diagnostic significance.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Mucins are important biomolecules that frequently display an altered expression under pathological conditions. In a search for a unique and reliable marker(s) specific for pancreatic adenocarcinoma, we investigated the expression of different MUC genes in pancreatic tumors and tumor cell lines, in chronic pancreatitis, and in the normal pancreas.
  
  
  METHODS
  Total RNA from 16 pancreatic tumors, 10 chronic pancreatitis tissues, 7 normal pancreas tissues, and 15 pancreatic tumor cell lines were analyzed by reverse transcription-PCR with primers specific for MUC1, MUC2, MUC3, MUC4, MUC5AC, MUC5B, MUC6, and MUC7 genes and by RNA slot blot analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our results revealed that of all of the mucins examined, only MUC4 displayed a differential expression that was specific for pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Indeed, a substantial number of tumor tissue samples (12 of 16) and tumor cell lines (11 of 15) expressed MUC4 mRNA, whereas samples from chronic pancreatitis (0 of 10) and the normal pancreas (0 of 7) tissues failed to exhibit any detectable level of this mucin. In contrast, no significant alteration was observed in the expression of the other mucins relative to that in the normal pancreas samples.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall, this work demonstrates that pancreatic mucin MUC4 is a tumor-associated mucin. Furthermore, the present study introduces a novel avenue to discriminate between pancreatic adenocarcinoma and pancreatitis. Future investigations of the role played by MUC4 in pancreatic adenocarcinoma may prove to be useful in the formulation of strategies for the diagnosis and therapeutic treatment of this malignancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 984525 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-4525, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Andrianifahanana
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Moniaux
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Schmied
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ringel
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Friess
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hollingsworth
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Büchler
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Aubert
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Batra
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055264:Mucin-4; D009077:Mucins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D010179:Pancreas / Q000737:chemistry; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000235:genetics*; D012313:RNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012016:Reference Values; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C524658:MUC4 protein, human; D055264:Mucin-4; D009077:Mucins; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D012313:RNA