[Expression and clinical significance of KNSL4 in breast cancer].
OBJECTIVE
Previous screening of breast cancer metastasis-related genes found that the mRNA level of kinesin-like 4 (KNSL4) gene is down-regulated in metastatic lymph nodes as compared with the paired primary breast cancer. This study was to clarify the correlations of KNSL4 mRNA expression to metastasis and prognosis of breast cancer, and explore the correlation of KNSL4 expression to c-erbB-2 expression to explore potential mechanisms of promoting metastasis by KNSL4.


METHODS
Real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to quantify the mRNA level of KNSL4 in 108 specimens of primary breast cancer. The correlations of KNSL4 mRNA level to metastasis and prognosis of the 108 cases were analyzed. Immunohistochemistry was used to assess c-erbB-2 protien expression in 76 out of the 108 cases, and the correlation of KNSL4 expression to c-erbB-2 expression was analyzed.


RESULTS
The mRNA level of KNSL4 was significantly lower in the cases at stages iii-iv than in the cases at stages iii-iv (P<0.001), significantly lower in the cases with more than 3 metastatic lymph nodes than in the cases with 0-3 metastatic positive lymph nodes (P<0.01), slightly lower in the cases with negative estrogen receptor or prognesterone receptor than in the cases with positive receptors (P>0.05), lower in the 6 cases with distant metastasis than in the rest cases without distant metastasis within 24 month follow up, lower in the 3 cases with bilateral breast cancer than in other cases with unilateral breast cancer, and significantly lower in c-erbB-2-positive group than in c-erB-2-negative group (P<0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
The down-regulation of KNSL4 mRNA level is correlated to prognosis of primary breast cancer. It may enhance metastatic ability of breast cancer cells through promoting c-erbB-2 transcription and translation.
Feng
Yu-Mei
YM
Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Breast Cancer Prevention and Treatment, Key Lab of Ministry of Education, Tianjing Cancer Hospital & Institute, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300060, P. R. China. fengymei@hotmail.com
Wan
Yan-Fang
YF
Li
Xiao-Qing
XQ
Cao
Xu-Chen
XC
Li
Xi
X
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000556:secondary; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000556:secondary; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D016547:Kinesins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D016547:Kinesins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; C098764:KIF22 protein, human