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Decreased expression of SPRR3 in Chinese human oesophageal cancer
1National Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Cancer Institute, CAMS, PUMC, Beijing 100021, China.
Abstract:
cDNA fragments that were differentially expressed between human oesophageal carcinomas and matched normal adjacent mucosa were isolated using an improved mRNA differential display technique. One of them was identified as the 3'-untranslated region of SPRR3 and was homologous to the esophagin cDNA. Northern blot, dot blot and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analyses revealed that SPRR3 expression was lost in three cell lines of oesophageal carcinoma and was dramatically decreased in 54 out of 57 primary oesophageal carcinomas compared with adjacent normal mucosa. Esophagin has been shown to be down-regulated in western oesophageal carcinomas. The data suggest that esophagin is probably the protein product of the gene SPRR3 and that altered mRNA expression of SPRR3/esophagin is a frequent event in the development of Chinese oesophageal cancer.
Insights
Altered expression of the SPRR3 gene, potentially encoding esophagin, is frequent in Chinese esophageal cancer. This gene
Area of Science:
- Molecular oncology
- Gastroenterology
- Cancer research
Background:
- Esophageal carcinoma is a significant global health concern.
- Identifying molecular markers for early detection and understanding pathogenesis is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify differentially expressed genes in human esophageal carcinomas.
- To investigate the role of SPRR3/esophagin in esophageal cancer development.
Main Methods:
- Improved mRNA differential display technique to isolate cDNA fragments.
- Northern blot, dot blot, and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for expression analysis.
Main Results:
- SPRR3 was identified as a differentially expressed gene, homologous to esophagin cDNA.
- SPRR3 expression was lost in three esophageal carcinoma cell lines.
- SPRR3 expression was significantly decreased in 54/57 primary esophageal carcinomas compared to normal mucosa.
Conclusions:
- Esophagin is likely the protein product of the SPRR3 gene.
- Altered SPRR3/esophagin mRNA expression is a frequent event in Chinese esophageal cancer development.
- SPRR3/esophagin may serve as a potential biomarker for esophageal cancer.
