Differential caspase-3 expression in noncancerous, premalignant and cancer tissues of stomach and its clinical implication.
BACKGROUND
Caspase-3 is a critical apoptosis-promoting element but its status during stepwise gastrocarcinogenesis needs to be further clarified.


METHODS
By the use of frozen tissue microarrays constructed with the tissue spots cored from defined histological regions in tissue blocks, the pattern of caspase-3 expression in noncancerous, premalignant (atrophic gastritis and intestinal metaplasia) tissue and cancer spots were analyzed under the same experimental conditions by the methods of immunohistochemistry and mRNA-in situ hybridization.


RESULTS
Caspase-3 was expressed in all 34 of the noncancerous mucosa (100%), in 16 of the 17 premalignant tissues (94.1%) and in 15 of the 48 gastric cancers (31.3%). The incidences of caspase-3 detection were significantly different (p<0.01) between noncancerous mucosa and intestinal as well as diffuse gastric cancers.


CONCLUSIONS
Down-regulated caspase-3 is closely correlated with gastric cancer formation and would be a potential indicator of tumor formation and progression. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori; Hp) infection is but not the only one element responsible to the enhanced caspase-3 expression in gastric epithelia.
Sun
Yuan
Y
Cancer Institute, Liaoning Lab of Cancer Genomics, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116027, PR China.
Chen
Xiao-Yan
XY
Liu
Jia
J
Cheng
Xiao-Xin
XX
Wang
Xiao-Wei
XW
Kong
Qing-You
QY
Li
Hong
H
D017209:Apoptosis; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism*; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D005756:Gastritis / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D008679:Metaplasia; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology*; D012313:RNA / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013270:Stomach / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology*; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis
D012313:RNA; C505407:CASP3 protein, human; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases