Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Genome-Wide Analysis of DNA Methylation in Gastrointestinal Cancer
07:50

Genome-Wide Analysis of DNA Methylation in Gastrointestinal Cancer

Published on: September 18, 2020

Increased expression of histone deacetylase 2 is found in human gastric cancer

Jaehwi Song1, Ji Heon Noh, Jong Heun Lee

  • 1Department of Pathology, Microdissection Genomics Research Institute, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.

APMIS : Acta Pathologica, Microbiologica, Et Immunologica Scandinavica
|May 4, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) is overexpressed in most gastric cancers and linked to advanced disease. This suggests HDAC2 may drive gastric cancer progression and aggressiveness.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cancer Research

Background:

  • Aberrant regulation of histone deacetylases (HDACs) contributes to human malignancies.
  • The specific role of histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) in solid tumor carcinogenesis, particularly gastric cancer, remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the expression and potential role of HDAC2 in gastric carcinogenesis.
  • To determine the association between HDAC2 expression and clinicopathological features of gastric adenocarcinoma.

Main Methods:

  • Immunohistochemistry was used to analyze HDAC2 expression in 71 gastric adenocarcinoma samples.
  • Statistical analysis, including Chi-square test, was employed to assess correlations.

Main Results:

  • Moderate to strong HDAC2 expression was detected in 62% (44/71) of gastric tumors.
  • HDAC2 was primarily expressed in the nucleus of tumor cells, with minimal expression in normal gastric epithelium.
  • HDAC2 expression showed a statistically significant association with advanced gastric cancer (P=0.0023) and a trend towards association with lymph node metastasis (P=0.0713).

Conclusions:

  • HDAC2 is frequently overexpressed in gastric adenocarcinomas.
  • HDAC2 expression is linked to tumor aggressiveness, suggesting its potential role in gastric cancer progression.

Related Concept Videos

Gastritis II: Pathophysiology01:26

Gastritis II: Pathophysiology

The pathophysiology of gastritis begins with the colonization of the stomach lining by Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). This bacterium spreads mainly via the oral-oral route through saliva or shared utensils, and can also be transmitted in overcrowded or unhygienic environments through contaminated water, despite its brief survival outside the body.ColonizationOnce ingested, H. pylori enters the stomach and begins colonization by navigating through the mucus layer lining the stomach wall. It...
Spreading of Chromatin Modifications02:25

Spreading of Chromatin Modifications

The histone proteins in the nucleosomes are post-translationally modified (PTM) to increase or decrease access to DNA. The commonly observed PTMs are methylation, acetylation, phosphorylation, and ubiquitination of lysine amino acids in the histone H3 tail region. These histone modifications have specific meaning for the cell. Hence, they are called "histone code". The protein complex involved in histone modification is termed as "reader-writer" complex.
Writers
The writer is an enzyme that can...
Abnormal Proliferation02:23

Abnormal Proliferation

Under normal conditions, most adult cells remain in a non-proliferative state unless stimulated by internal or external factors to replace lost cells. Abnormal cell proliferation is a condition in which the cell's growth exceeds and is uncoordinated with normal cells. In such situations, cell division persists in the same excessive manner even after cessation of the stimuli, leading to persistent tumors. The tumor arises from the damaged cells that replicate to pass the damage to the daughter...
Histone Variants at the Centromere02:30

Histone Variants at the Centromere

Histone variants are the histone proteins with structural and sequence variations. These variants may be regarded as “mutant” forms that replace their canonical histone counterparts in the nucleosomes. Specific post-translational modifications on the histone variants enable further chromatin complexity and regulate tissue-specific gene expression. The most common histone variants are from histone H2A, H2B, and linker histone H1 families. However, several variants of histone H3 variants are also...
Epigenetic Regulation01:37

Epigenetic Regulation

Epigenetic changes alter the physical structure of the DNA without changing the genetic sequence and often regulate whether genes are turned on or off. This regulation ensures that each cell produces only proteins necessary for its function. For example, proteins that promote bone growth are not produced in muscle cells. Epigenetic mechanisms play an essential role in healthy development. Conversely, precisely regulated epigenetic mechanisms are disrupted in diseases like cancer.
X-chromosome...