title: [Relationship between Testin expression and clinicopathological characteristics in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the expression of Testin gene, and analyze its possible relationship with the clinicopathological features of human nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  The expression of Testin in nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry methods, semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blot. The correlations of Testin to clinicopathologic features of nasopharyngeal carcinoma were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The positive expression rate of Testin in NPC biopsy tissue was 37.8% (17/ 45), while it was 88.9% (40/45) in the normal tissue; The expression of Testin mRNA was significantly lower than that in the normal tissue (P < 0.01); The expression levels of Testin protein in the NPC biopsy tissue by Western blot were lower than that in the normal tissue (P < 0.01); The expression of Testin in the tumor tissue had no significant correlation with sex, age (P > 0.05); but it had significant correlation with lympho node metastasis, distant metastasis and differentiation degree.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The decreased expression of Testin gene may play an importmant role in the development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. And thus Testin gene might be a novel candidate of tumor-suppressor. It may be an objective marker for prognostic factor and malignant level for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
authors.forename: Shujun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Mingxue
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: Lurong
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Han
mesh_terms: D002277:Carcinoma; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D016147:Genes, Tumor Suppressor; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D060588:LIM Domain Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D000077274:Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins
chemical_list: D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D060588:LIM Domain Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; C429688:TES protein, human