An anti-apoptosis gene, survivin and telomerase expression in gastric cancer.
OBJECTIVE
Survivin is frequently expressed in various malignancies as an inhibitor of programmed cell death, while telomerase is associated with cell immortality and consequent accumulation of a malignant genetic property. We surmised that an activation of telomerase in combination with an inhibition of apoptosis might further accelerate growth of malignant tumors. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the expression of survivin and telomerase in stomach cancer.


METHODS
Twenty-five consecutive patients who underwent gastrectomy for stomach cancer were studied including 13 patients at stage 4, 7 of whom had peritoneal metastasis. The expression of survivin and telomerase in the tumors were studied by a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction.


RESULTS
Survivin mRNA was detected in 16 (64%) out of 25 tumors and telomerase mRNA in 24 (96%) of them. Survivin expression was inversely associated with the depth of tumor and peritoneal metastasis, while histology, lymph node metastasis, stage, and telomerase expression were not associated. DNA fragmentation was observed in 8 out of 15 tumors including 4 of 9 survivin positive tumors and 4 of 6 survivin negative tumors (n.s.).


CONCLUSIONS
Survivin was not likely to be related with an inhibition of apoptosis or induction of telomerase but may have some role in gastric cancer extension.
Tsuburaya
Akira
A
Department of Surgery, Kanagawa Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Yokohama City University, Japan. tsubu@lares.dti.ne.jp
Noguchi
Yoshikazu
Y
Yoshikawa
Takaki
T
Saito
Aya
A
Doi
Chiharu
C
Okamoto
Takahide
T
Fukuzawa
Kuniyasu
K
D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000235:genetics*; D005743:Gastrectomy; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010534:Peritoneal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013270:Stomach / Q000473:pathology; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D000077022:Survivin; D019098:Telomerase / Q000235:genetics*
C107489:BIRC5 protein, human; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D000077022:Survivin; D019098:Telomerase