Differentially regulated ADAMTS1, 8, and 18 in gastric adenocarcinoma

The aim is to investigate the expression status of ADAMTS1,8, and 18 proteases in gastric cancer (GC) and lymphatic metastasis.

A disintegrin and metalloprotease with thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTS) is a new protease family, and has important biological functions such as hemostasis, extracellular matrix remodeling and regulation of angiogenesis.

The immunostaining status of ADAMTS1,8, and 18 were investigated in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples of 25 patients who underwent curative resection for GC.

The immune reactivity scores (IRS) of ADAMTS1, 8, and 18 were significantly higher in the cancerous gastric tissue in comparison to non-cancerous gastric tissue (p < 0.001). In addition, IRS scores of these three ADAMTS proteases were higher in the metastatic lymph nodes compared with healthy lymph nodes (p < 0.001). The expression status of the three ADAMTSs in cancerous gastric tissue was correlated with stage of tumor. Additionally, ADAMTS1 expression and ADAMTS8 expression in cancerous gastric tissue were found to correlate with grade and tumor size, respectively.

This study showed that ADAMTS1, 8, and 18 are highly expressed in GC and its nodal metastases, suggesting  important roles of these proteases in carcinogenesis and lymphatic metastasis. The findings from the present study indicate that these proteases may be promising candidates for novel and alternative treatments in GC (Tab. 3, Fig. 3, Ref. 27).