title: Low expression of MAP1LC3B, associated with low Beclin-1, predicts lymph node metastasis and poor prognosis of gastric cancer.
abstract: Since the roles of autophagy in gastric cancer remain unclear, we aim to investigate the expression of autophagy-related proteins MAP1LC3B and Beclin-1 in human gastric cancer and discuss their clinical significance and correlation with prognosis of patients with gastric cancer. A total of 160 consecutive patients with gastric cancer who had undergone gastrectomy were enrolled in this study. The expressions of MAP1LC3B and Beclin-1 were assessed by immunohistochemistry. The protein expression rates were analyzed with χ2and Fisher's exact tests. Survival analysis (overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS)) was determined using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox's proportional hazard regression model. Both the expressions of MAP1LC3B and Beclin-1 were lower in gastric cancer tissues than adjacent normal tissues (57 vs. 82 %, p = 0.007; 72 vs. 88 %, p = 0.046, respectively). Relativity analysis indicated MAP1LC3B expression was positively correlated with Beclin-1 expression (r = 0.424, p < 0.001). Both the MAP1LC3B-high-expression patients and Beclin-1-high-expression patients have longer OS time and RFS time than MAP1LC3B-low-expression patients and Beclin-1-low-expression patients (MAP1LC3B: both p < 0.001; Beclin-1: p = 0.014, p = 0.015, respectively). High simultaneous MAP1LC3B and Beclin-1 expressions were associated with longer OS and RFS compared with low simultaneous MAP1LC3B and Beclin-1 expressions (56.77 vs. 24.42 months, p < 0.001; 53.56 vs. 22.33 months, p < 0.001, respectively). Multivariate survival analysis showed both MAP1LC3B and Beclin-1 were independent prognostic factors for OS time (p = 0.016, p = 0.041, respectively). However, MAP1LC3B (p = 0.022) was an independent prognostic factor for RFS. Moreover, low expressions of MAP1LC3B and Beclin-1 were significantly associated with lymph node metastasis (p = 0.007, p = 0.030, respectively). The loss of MAP1LC3B, correlated with loss of Beclin-1, was observed in gastric cancer and correlated with poor prognosis and lymph node metastasis of gastric cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, No. 58, Zhongshan 2nd Street, Guangzhou, 510080, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Shuangjin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, No. 58, Zhongshan 2nd Street, Guangzhou, 510080, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Guanghua
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, No. 58, Zhongshan 2nd Street, Guangzhou, 510080, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China. Dr_Zhaowang@163.com.
authors.forename: Zhao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, No. 58, Zhongshan 2nd Street, Guangzhou, 510080, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Zhixiong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, No. 58, Zhongshan 2nd Street, Guangzhou, 510080, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chuangqi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, No. 58, Zhongshan 2nd Street, Guangzhou, 510080, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Shirong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, No. 58, Zhongshan 2nd Street, Guangzhou, 510080, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yulong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: He
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000071186:Beclin-1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005743:Gastrectomy; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012372:ROC Curve; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: C491997:BECN1 protein, human; D000071186:Beclin-1; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C502070:MAP1LC3B protein, human; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins
keywords: Beclin-1; Gastric cancer; Lymph node metastasis; MAP1LC3B; Prognosis