Clinicopathological and biological significance of mitotic centromere-associated kinesin overexpression in human gastric cancer.
Mitotic centromere-associated kinesin (MCAK) is a microtubule (MT) depolymerase necessary for ensuring proper kinetochore MT attachment during spindle formation. To determine MCAK expression status and its clinicopathological significance, real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was used in 65 cases of gastric cancer. MCAK gene expression in cancer tissue was significantly higher than expression in non-malignant tissue (P<0.05). Elevated MCAK expression was significantly associated with lymphatic invasion (P=0.01) and lymph node metastasis (P=0.04). Furthermore, patients with high MCAK expression had a significantly poorer survival rate than those with low MCAK expression (P=0.008). Immunohistochemical study revealed that expression of MCAK was primarily observed in cancer cells. Additionally, a gastric cancer cell line (AZ521) that stably expressed MCAK was established and used to investigate the biological effects of the MCAK gene. In vitro results showed that cells transfected with MCAK had a high rate of proliferation (P<0.001) and increased migratory ability (P<0.001) compared to mock-transfected cells. This study demonstrated that elevated expression of MCAK may be associated with lymphatic invasion, lymph node metastasis, and poor prognosis. These characteristics may be due in part to the increased proliferative and migratory ability of cells expressing MCAK.
Nakamura
Y
Y
Department of Surgery and Molecular Oncology, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, 4546 Tsurumibaru, Beppu 874-0838, Japan.
Tanaka
F
F
Haraguchi
N
N
Mimori
K
K
Matsumoto
T
T
Inoue
H
H
Yanaga
K
K
Mori
M
M
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D016547:Kinesins / Q000235:genetics*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D011379:Prognosis; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015854:Up-Regulation
C091489:KIF2C protein, human; D016547:Kinesins