[Transcriptional expression of metastasis suppression gene nm23 in human lung cancer.]

To investigate the role of nm23 gene in oncogenesis and progression of human lung cancer.

The mRNA expressions of nm23-H1 and nm23-H2 genes in a series of 143 pulmonary tissues collected at various sites and with different properties were studied with slot blot hybridization and non-radioactive digoxigenin labeling and detection system.

According to the observations on normal pulmonary tissues , benign lesions , para- and non-cancer tissues , primary cancer and metastatic lymph nodes , there was a tendency of mRNA expression reduction of nm23-H1 and nm23-H2 genes. Among them , nm23-H2 mRNA expressions in lung cancer tissues were significantly decreased when compared with normal pulmonary tissues ( P < 0.05) , and nm23-H1 and nm23-H2 gene expressions in metastatic lymph nodes were both reduced compared with those in normal pulmonary tissues ( P < 0.05) . There was no significant correlation between nm23 gene expression and lymph node metastasis in lung cancer ( P > 0.05) .

Reduction of nm23 gene expression might be associated with the oncogenesis of lung cancer , but no evidence of metastasis suppression by nm23 gene was revealed in this study.