title: Beclin-1 expression is a significant predictor of survival in patients with lymph node-positive gastric cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Beclin 1 is a main actor of autophagy. The expression of Beclin 1 and its prognostic role in gastric cancer is largely unexplored. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the expression of beclin 1 in gastric cancer cells, tissues and its relationship with prognosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  The expression of Beclin 1 was detected in 271 specimens of lymph-node positive gastric cancer patients by immunohistochemistry. The correlation of Beclin 1 expression to clinicopathologic features and survival of gastric cancer was studied. Beclin-1 expression in gastric cancer cell lines and clinical specimens is also detected using reverse transcription-PCR and Western blotting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Beclin 1 is up-regulated at both mRNA and protein levels in six gastric cancer cell lines compared with those in normal gastric mucosa cell line (GES-1). The expression of Beclin-1 in gastric clinical specimens is also higher than those in the adjacent noncancerous tissues. Of the 271 patients, 229 (84.5%) were Beclin 1 high expression tumors by immunohistochemistry. Beclin 1 expression is closely associated with intravascular embolus. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed high beclin 1 expression was associated with longer overall survival. Both univariate analysis and multivariate analysis revealed that Beclin 1 expression were independent prognostic factors in the patients with node-positive gastric cancer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings strongly suggest that Beclin 1 has a potential role in tumorigenesis of gastric cancer and could be a promising biomarker for predicting the prognosis of patients with lymph node-positive gastric cancer. It might also serve as a novel therapeutic target for gastric cancer treatment.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Qi-Rong
authors.initials: QR
authors.lastname: Geng
authors.forename: Da-Zhi
authors.initials: DZ
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Long-Jun
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Jia-Bing
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Zhi-Wei
authors.initials: ZW
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: You-Qing
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Zhan
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D000071186:Beclin-1; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D011379:Prognosis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D013270:Stomach / Q000473:pathology; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; C491997:BECN1 protein, human; D000071186:Beclin-1; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger