title: Gene expression signatures for identifying diffuse-type gastric cancer associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition.
abstract: Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is associated with tumor malignancy. The hedgehog-EMT pathway is preferentially activated in diffuse-type gastric cancer (GC) compared with intestinal-type GC; however, histological typing is currently the only method for distinguishing these two major types of GC. We compared the gene expression profiles of 12 bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell cultures and 5 diffuse-type GC tissue samples. Numerous upregulated or downregulated genes were identified in diffuse-type GC, including CDH1, CDH2, VIM, WNT4 and WNT5. Among these genes, the mRNA ratio of CDH2 to CDH1 could distinguish the 15 diffuse-type GC samples from the 17 intestinal-type GC samples. Our results suggested that the mesenchymal features were more prominent in diffuse-type GC than in intestinal-type GC, but were weaker in diffuse-type GC than in mesenchymal stem cells. Diffuse-type GC that has undergone extensive EMT, which has a poor prognosis, can be identified by quantitative PCR analysis of only two genes.
authors.affiliation: Division of Safety Information on Drug, Food and Chemicals, National Institute of Health Sciences, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 158-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Shihori
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tanabe
authors.affiliation: Department of Translational Oncology, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aoyagi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0017, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yokozaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Translational Oncology, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sasaki
mesh_terms: D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000235:genetics*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics; D015820:Cadherins / Q000235:genetics*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D058750:Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C513384:CDH1 protein, human; C050361:CDH2 protein, human; D015820:Cadherins; D012333:RNA, Messenger