Mina53 as a potential prognostic factor for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
We previously identified mina53, a novel Myc target gene. Here we investigated whether mina53 is related to esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), a disease with poor prognosis.


METHODS
Mina53 expression was suppressed in ESCC cell lines by a RNA interference method to investigate whether Mina53 is involved in cell proliferation. Expression of Mina53 was investigated by Western blotting in tissue sections from patients with ESCC. Immunohistochemical analysis of Mina53 was carried out and compared with that using anti-Ki-67 antibody. Finally, the level of Mina53 expression was compared with the length of survival of patients with ESCC.


RESULTS
Reduction of mina53 expression by RNA interference suppressed cell proliferation in ESCC cell lines. Western blot analysis of surgically resected ESCC specimens indicated that the expression of Mina53 in tumors was increased compared with that in adjacent nonneoplastic tissues in all four specimens examined. When formalin-fixed specimens from 52 patients with ESCC were stained immunohistochemically, it was found that Mina53 was highly expressed in 83% of specimens. Anti-Mina53 antibody stained tumors more efficiently than antibody against Ki-67, a cell proliferation biomarker, in some cancer specimens. Patients with high expression of Mina53 had shorter survival periods, whereas the expression level of Ki-67 in ESCC showed no relationship to patient outcome.


CONCLUSIONS
Taken together, our results indicate that expression of Mina53 is a characteristic feature of ESCC and suggest that immunostaining by anti-Mina53 antibody may be useful as a potential prognostic indicator.
Tsuneoka
Makoto
M
Division of Human Genetics, Department of Forensic Medicine, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Japan. tsuneoka@med.kurume-u.ac.jp
Fujita
Hiromasa
H
Arima
Nobuyuki
N
Teye
Kwesi
K
Okamura
Torahiko
T
Inutsuka
Hiroki
H
Koda
Yoshiro
Y
Shirouzu
Kazuo
K
Kimura
Hiroshi
H
D015153:Blotting, Western; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D049308:Dioxygenases; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D056466:Histone Demethylases; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000502:physiology; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D034622:RNA Interference; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D049308:Dioxygenases; D056466:Histone Demethylases; C466777:RIOX2 protein, human