Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 26, 2026
Genome-Wide Analysis of DNA Methylation in Gastrointestinal Cancer
Published on: September 18, 2020
Down-regulated SPARCL1 is associated with clinical significance in human gastric cancer
Ping Li1, Jianxin Qian, Guanzhen Yu
1Department of Medical Oncology, Changzheng Hospital, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
Background:
SPARC-like protein 1 (SPARCL1), a member of extracelluar matrix glycoprotein, is involved in many physiological functions.
Methods:
Tissue microarray (TMA) blocks were constructed based on 1,072 Chinese patients, containing both gastric cancer (GC) tissues and adjacent normal mucosa tissues. We analyzed the expression of SPARCL1 from both mRNA and protein level, using Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), semi-quantitative PCR, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and Western blotting. Loss of heterozygosity analysis at the SPARCL1 gene locus was carried out using ten paired tumor and matched normal tissues.
Results:
SPARCL1 mRNA was significantly reduced in tumor specimens compared with normal tissues. Down-regulation of SPARCL1 protein was detected in 413 cases (38.7%) of 1,072 primary gastric tumor tissues. Kaplan-Meier survival curves demonstrated that SPARCL1-positive patients had better median survival time than SPARCL1-negative patients (59 months vs. 28 months, P = 0.001). Multivariate survival analysis revealed that SPARCL1 was an independent prognostic factor in gastric adenocarcinoma patients with no metastasis and well/moderately differentiated. The incidence of LOH for each individual marker was 12.5% (1/8) for D4S2462, 20% (2/10) for D4S2929, and 33.3% (3/9) for SPARCL1.
Conclusions:
Our study revealed the clinical significance of SPARCL1 expression, providing a basis that the loss of SPARCL1 is a negative event in GC progression and prognosis. Furthermore, SPARCL1 protein might be considered to be a potential differentiation marker.
Insights
Loss of SPARC-like protein 1 (SPARCL1) is linked to gastric cancer progression. Reduced SPARCL1 expression indicates a poorer prognosis, suggesting SPARCL1 as a potential marker for gastric cancer.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- SPARC-like protein 1 (SPARCL1) is an extracellular matrix glycoprotein with diverse physiological roles.
- Its involvement in cancer, particularly gastric cancer (GC), remains to be fully elucidated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the expression levels of SPARCL1 in gastric cancer tissues.
- To determine the correlation between SPARCL1 expression and clinicopathological features, as well as patient prognosis.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of SPARCL1 mRNA and protein expression in 1,072 Chinese gastric cancer and adjacent normal tissues using qRT-PCR, IHC, and Western blotting.
- Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) analysis was performed on paired tumor and normal tissues.
Main Results:
- SPARCL1 mRNA and protein were significantly downregulated in gastric cancer tissues compared to normal tissues.
- Downregulation was observed in 38.7% of primary gastric tumors.
- SPARCL1-positive patients exhibited significantly better survival rates (59 vs. 28 months) and SPARCL1 was identified as an independent prognostic factor.
Conclusions:
- Loss of SPARCL1 expression is associated with adverse outcomes in gastric cancer progression and prognosis.
- SPARCL1 may serve as a valuable prognostic and differentiation marker in gastric adenocarcinoma.
Related Concept Videos
02:23Abnormal Proliferation
01:20The Retinoblastoma Gene
The first-ever tumor suppressor gene called Rb was identified in retinoblastoma - a rare eye tumor in children. In inherited forms of the disease, a child inherits one defective copy of the Rb gene, which predisposes them to retinoblastoma. However,...