Expression of p-STAT3 in human gastric carcinoma: significant correlation in tumour invasion and prognosis.
Signal transducers and activators of transcription (STATs) belong to a family of transcription factors activated in response to cytokines and growth factors. Constitutive activation of STAT3 has been observed in a growing number of tumour-derived cell lines, as well as in tumor specimens from human cancers. Our aim was to determine the relationship between the expression of phosphorylated STAT3 (p-STAT3) and clinicopathological factors in human gastric adenocarcinoma. One-hundred and eleven cases of surgically resected human gastric adenocarcinoma were studied by immunohistochemistry. Fifty-five (49.5%) cases showed positive staining for the p-STAT3 proteins. The expression of p-STAT3 was significantly correlated with several clinicopathological factors. Moreover, expression of p-STAT3 was detected by Western blot analysis in 2 different kinds of cultured human gastric carcinoma cell lines and 4 cases of gastric carcinoma tissue obtained at surgery. Western blot analysis confirmed the presence of p-STAT3 in these specimens. In univariate survival analysis, p-STAT3 expression was associated with inferior survival (p<0.05). Constitutive activation of STAT3 may play an important role in the tumorigenesis of gastric adenocarcinoma, and the detailed mechanism of STAT3 signaling pathway in gastric adenocarcinoma deserves further investigation.
Yakata
Yuichi
Y
Department of Tumor and Diagnostic Pathology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan.
Nakayama
Toshiyuki
T
Yoshizaki
Ayumi
A
Kusaba
Takafumi
T
Inoue
Kenichiro
K
Sekine
Ichiro
I
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D000236:Adenoma / Q000378:metabolism*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D011379:Prognosis; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism*
D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; C494086:STAT3 protein, human