Clinical significance of CD99 down-regulation in gastric adenocarcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
CD99 is a cell adhesion molecule associated with human tumors. The aim of the present study was to characterize its role in the development and progression of human gastric adenocarcinoma.


METHODS
The expression of CD99 was investigated in 283 gastric adenocarcinomas and related lesions and 9 gastric carcinoma cell lines. We also analyzed the methylation status of CD99 gene by using methylation-specific PCR and examined loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of this gene locus by using an intragenic marker. Moreover, we assessed whether SP1, a positive transcription factor for CD99, is expressed in these samples.


RESULTS
We found that the decreased expression of CD99 was strongly associated with poor survival and unfavorable clinicopathologic variables. Promoter region methylation (15 of 89, 16.9%) and LOH (21 of 74, 28.4%) were observed and significantly associated with CD99 down-regulation (P<0.05). In addition, most of the gastric adenocarcinoma cases with CD99 down-regulation had reduced expression of SP1 (47 of 103, 45.6%; P<0.01). This relationship between CD99 and SP1 was consolidated by using SP1 small interfering RNA transfection experiment and CD99 promoter luciferase assay. Furthermore, we showed that CD99 down-regulation was associated with proliferation and migration in gastric carcinoma cell line.


CONCLUSIONS
These observations suggest that CD99 down-regulation is a critical event in the progression of gastric adenocarcinoma, and CD99 promoter methylation, CD99 LOH, and SP1 down-regulation were responsible for the down-regulation of CD99.
Lee
Jung Hyun
JH
Department of Pharmacy, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, Seoul National University College of Pharmacy, Seoul, Korea.
Kim
Seok-Hyung
SH
Wang
Li-Hui
LH
Choi
Yoon-La
YL
Kim
Young Chul
YC
Kim
Jin Hee
JH
Park
Tae Sung
TS
Hong
Yun-Chul
YC
Shin
Young Kee
YK
D000071443:12E7 Antigen; D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D019175:DNA Methylation; D015536:Down-Regulation; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D019656:Loss of Heterozygosity; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D016329:Sp1 Transcription Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*
D000071443:12E7 Antigen; D015703:Antigens, CD; C061828:CD99 protein, human; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D016329:Sp1 Transcription Factor