Expression of transcription factor Pokemon in non-small cell lung cancer and its clinical significance.
BACKGROUND
Transcription factor Pokemon, a central regulation gene of the important tumor suppressor ARF gene, exerted its activity by acting upstream of many tumor-suppressing genes and proto-oncogenes. Its expression in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its clinical significance remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of Pokemon in NSCLC and to explore its correlation with the clinical pathological characteristics and its influence on patients' prognosis.


METHODS
Fifty-five cases of NSCLC were involved in this study. The expression of Pokemon in the tumor tissue, the corresponding tumor adjacent tissue and the surrounding tissue was detected via reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting, with the aim of investigating the correlation between the expression of Pokemon in tumor tissue of NSCLC and its clinical pathological characteristics. Moreover, a prognostic analysis was carried out based upon the immunohistochemical (IHC) detection of the expression of Pokemon gene in archival tumor specimens (5 years ago) of 62 cases of NSCLC.


RESULTS
Statistical significance of the expression of Pokemon mRNA and protein was determined in the tumor tissue, the tumor adjacent tissue and the surrounding tissue (P<0.05). The expression of Pokemon was determined not to be associated with the patients' sex, age, smoking condition, tumor differentiation degree, histology and lymph node metastasis condition. However, its relationship with TNM staging was established (P<0.05). Furthermore, it was shown that the survival rate of patients with negative Pokemon expression was significantly higher than that of those with positive Pokemon expression (P=0.004), therefore, the expression of Pokemon is believed to be an independent factor affecting prognosis (P=0.034).


CONCLUSIONS
Pokemon was over-expressed in NSCLC tissue and the expression of Pokemon might be of clinical significance in non-small cell lung cancer prognostic evaluation.
Zhao
Zhi-hong
ZH
Department of Chest Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150001, China.
Wang
Sheng-fa
SF
Yu
Liang
L
Wang
Ju
J
Chang
Hao
H
Yan
Wei-li
WL
Fu
Kai
K
Zhang
Jian
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*
D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014157:Transcription Factors