title: Coexpression of cholecystokinin-B/gastrin receptor and gastrin gene in human gastric tissues and gastric cancer cell line.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the expression patterns of cholecystokinin-B (CCK-B)/gastrin receptor genes in matched human gastric carcinoma and adjacent non-neoplastic mucosa of patients with gastric cancer, inflammatory gastric mucosa from patients with gastritis, normal stomachs from 2 autopsied patients and a gastric carcinoma cell line (SGC-7901), and to explore their relationship with progression to malignancy of human gastric carcinomas.
  
  
  METHODS
  RT-PCR and sequencing were employed to detect the mRNA expression levels of CCK-B receptor and gastrin gene in specimens from 30 patients with gastric carcinoma and healthy bordering non-cancerous mucosa, 10 gastritis patients and normal stomachs from 2 autopsied patients as well as SGC-7901. The results were semi-quantified by normalizing it to the mRNA level of beta-actin gene using Lab Image software. The sequences were analyzed by BLAST program.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CCK-B receptor transcripts were detected in all of human gastric tissues in this study, including normal, inflammatory and malignant tissues and SGC-7901. However, the expression levels of CCK-B receptor in normal gastric tissues were higher than those in other groups (P<0.05), and its expressions did not correlate with the differentiation and metastasis of gastric cancer (P>0.05). On the other hand, gastrin mRNA was detected in SGC-7901 and in specimens obtained from gastric cancer patients (22/30) but not in other gastric tissues, and its expression was highly correlated with the metastases of gastric cancer (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Human gastric carcinomas and gastric cancer cell line SGC-7901 cells coexpress CCK-B receptor and gastrin mRNA. Gastrin/CCK-B receptor autocrine or paracrine pathway may possibly play an important role in the progression of gastric cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, West China Medical Center, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. zjjdjb@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Jian-Jiang
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Man-Ling
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Qun-Zhou
authors.initials: QZ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jian-Kun
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Wen-Ling
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism*; D005755:Gastrins / Q000235:genetics*; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D043887:Receptor, Cholecystokinin B / Q000378:metabolism*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D005755:Gastrins; D043887:Receptor, Cholecystokinin B