The expression of NOV and WT1 in renal cell carcinoma: a quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis.
OBJECTIVE
The NOV gene was first identified as an aberrantly expressed gene in avian nephroblastomas induced by myeloblastosis-associated virus. Its expression has been shown to be altered in avian and human nephroblastomas, and to be a target of WT1 regulation. We analyzed the mRNA level of human NOV together with the mRNA level of WT1 in sporadic renal cell carcinoma (RCC).


METHODS
We quantified NOV and WT1 mRNA levels in surgical specimens from 57 patients with RCC using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis.


RESULTS
NOV mRNA levels decreased significantly in RCC compared with normal kidney tissue (p <0.001). The NOV mRNA level was higher in papillary than in clear cell RCCs (p = 0.040) and higher in G1 than G2 and 3 tumors (p = 0.01). WT1 was down-regulated in RCCs. No significant relationship was found for NOV and WT1 mRNA levels in our study.


CONCLUSIONS
To our knowledge this is the first study to investigate the expression level of the NOV gene in a panel of human RCC tissues together with paired normal renal tissue. Our data indicate that NOV is associated with carcinogenesis and the progression of RCC, and the NOV expression level is different in papillary-type and clear cell-type RCC. There is a possibility that the regulation of NOV expression is different from the pathway regulated by WT1.
Niu
Zhihong
Z
Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University, Shogoin Kawaharacho, Kyoto, Japan.
Ito
Masaki
M
Awakura
Yasuo
Y
Takahashi
Takeshi
T
Nakamura
Eijiro
E
Ito
Noriyuki
N
Ogawa
Osamu
O
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000378:metabolism*; D055513:Connective Tissue Growth Factor; D018450:Disease Progression; D015536:Down-Regulation; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055514:Nephroblastoma Overexpressed Protein; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D025721:WT1 Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
C526317:CCN2 protein, human; C526319:CCN3 protein, human; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D055514:Nephroblastoma Overexpressed Protein; D025721:WT1 Proteins; D055513:Connective Tissue Growth Factor