title: Zinc finger protein 139 expression in gastric cancer and its clinical significance.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the expression of zinc finger protein 139 (ZNF139) in gastric cancer (GC), and to analyze its clinical significance.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 108 patients who were diagnosed with GC and underwent surgery between January 2005 and March 2007 were enrolled in this study. Gastric tumor specimens and paired tumor-adjacent tissues were collected and paraffin-embedded, and the clinicopathologic characteristics and prognosis were recorded. The expression of ZNF139, Bcl-2, Bax, and caspase-3 were determined by immunohistochemistry, and apoptosis was assessed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling. SPSS 13.0 software was used for data processing and analyses, and signiﬁcance was determined at P < 0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The expression of ZNF139 was stronger in tumors than in tumor-adjacent tissues (66.67% vs 44.44%; P < 0.01). Overexpression of ZNF139 correlated with tumor differentiation, invasion depth, clinical stage, lymphatic metastasis, and blood vessel invasion (all Ps < 0.05). Patients with overexpression of ZNF139 had a poorer prognosis (P < 0.01), and overexpression of ZNF139 was an independent factor for the prognosis of GC patients by a Cox survival analysis (P = 0.02). A negative relationship between ZNF139 and the apoptosis index was observed (r = -0.686; P < 0.01). The expression of Bcl-2 in GC was stronger than in tumor-adjacent tissues (66.67% vs 41.67%), whereas the expression levels of Bax and caspase-3 were lower in primary tumors (54.63% and 47.22%, respectively) than in tumor-adjacent tissues (73.15% and 73.15%, respectively) (all Ps < 0.05). The expression of ZNF139 negatively correlated with caspase-3 (r = -0.370; P < 0.01). The expressions of Bcl-2 and Bax were also negatively correlated (r = -0.231; P = 0.02). The expressions of caspase-3 and Bax protein were positively correlated (r = 0.217; P = 0.024).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ZNF139 is related to clinicopathologic characteristics and prognosis of GC. Furthermore, it is overexpressed and involved in apoptosis in GC tissues by regulating caspase-3.
authors.affiliation: Yong Li, Qun Zhao, Li-Qiao Fan, Li-Li Wang, Bi-Bo Tan, Yan-Li Leng, Yu Liu, Dong Wang, Department of General Surgery, The Fourth Hospital, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050011, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Yong Li, Qun Zhao, Li-Qiao Fan, Li-Li Wang, Bi-Bo Tan, Yan-Li Leng, Yu Liu, Dong Wang, Department of General Surgery, The Fourth Hospital, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050011, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Qun
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Yong Li, Qun Zhao, Li-Qiao Fan, Li-Li Wang, Bi-Bo Tan, Yan-Li Leng, Yu Liu, Dong Wang, Department of General Surgery, The Fourth Hospital, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050011, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Li-Qiao
authors.initials: LQ
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: Yong Li, Qun Zhao, Li-Qiao Fan, Li-Li Wang, Bi-Bo Tan, Yan-Li Leng, Yu Liu, Dong Wang, Department of General Surgery, The Fourth Hospital, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050011, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Li-Li
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Yong Li, Qun Zhao, Li-Qiao Fan, Li-Li Wang, Bi-Bo Tan, Yan-Li Leng, Yu Liu, Dong Wang, Department of General Surgery, The Fourth Hospital, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050011, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Bi-Bo
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Yong Li, Qun Zhao, Li-Qiao Fan, Li-Li Wang, Bi-Bo Tan, Yan-Li Leng, Yu Liu, Dong Wang, Department of General Surgery, The Fourth Hospital, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050011, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Yan-Li
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Leng
authors.affiliation: Yong Li, Qun Zhao, Li-Qiao Fan, Li-Li Wang, Bi-Bo Tan, Yan-Li Leng, Yu Liu, Dong Wang, Department of General Surgery, The Fourth Hospital, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050011, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Yong Li, Qun Zhao, Li-Qiao Fan, Li-Li Wang, Bi-Bo Tan, Yan-Li Leng, Yu Liu, Dong Wang, Department of General Surgery, The Fourth Hospital, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050011, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017209:Apoptosis; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000032:analysis; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D051741:Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors / Q000032:analysis*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000032:analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015854:Up-Regulation; D055815:Young Adult; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: C494826:BAX protein, human; C000595707:BCL2 protein, human; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D051741:Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; C000590232:ZKSCAN1 protein, human; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; C505407:CASP3 protein, human; D053148:Caspase 3
keywords: Apoptosis; Clinicopathologic characteristics; Gastric cancer; Prognosis; Zinc finger protein 139