The expression of trefoil factor family member 2 in increased at an acidic pH

• Published in: Oncology letters Vol. 27; no. 5; p. 212
• Main Authors: Masumoto, Yui, Matsuo, Suzuka, Kinjou, Natsuno, Narieda, Yuka, Wada, Morimasa, Fujimoto, Kyoko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Greece Spandidos Publications 01.05.2024; Spandidos Publications UK Ltd; D.A. Spandidos
• Subjects: Carbon dioxide; Cell culture; Cell death; Colon cancer; Colorectal cancer; Dehydrogenases; Drug resistance; Enzymes; Experiments; Gastrointestinal diseases; Gene expression; Genes; Glycoproteins; Health aspects; Hydrogen-ion concentration; Kinases; Liver cancer; Medical prognosis; Metastasis; Pancreatic cancer; Penicillin; Proteins; Survival analysis; Temperature; Tumors; Japan; California; United States > US; glycoprotein; incubation temperature; trefoil factor family member; acidic pH; cancer microenvironment; plasma membrane
• ISSN: 1792-1074; 1792-1082
• DOI: 10.3892/ol.2024.14345

Trefoil factor family member 2 ( ) is significantly involved in intestinal tumor growth in mice, which can be used as a human colon cancer model. , which encodes TFF2 (spasmolytic protein 1) is highly expressed in human cancer tissues, including the pancreas, colon and bile ducts, as well as in normal gastric and duodenum tissues. By contrast, exhibits low expression levels in other normal tissues, including the small and large intestine. Furthermore, expression has not been detected in DLD-1 cells, a cell line derived from human colon cancer. What induces expression in normal and tumor cells is still unknown. Highly malignant tumor tissues are characterized by higher temperatures and lower pH (6.2-6.9) than in normal tissues, where normal pH ranges from 7.2 to 7.4. This microenvironment exacerbates malignancy by promoting the acquisition of cell death resistance, drug resistance and immune escape. Therefore, the present study examined how expression is affected in cultured cells that imitate the tumor tissue microenvironment. The incubation temperature was increased from 37 to 40°C, but no expression of was induced. Subsequently, a culture solution with an acidic pH was prepared to simulate the Warburg effect in tumors. expression was increased by 42.8- and 5.8-fold in cells cultured in acidic medium at pH 6.5 and 6.8 compared with at pH 7.4, respectively, as determined using the relative quantification method following quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The present study also analyzed fluctuations in the expression levels of genes other than , under acidic conditions. Acidic conditions upregulated the expression of genes related to cell membranes and glycoproteins, based on the Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery. In conclusion, was highly expressed under acidic conditions, implying that it may have an important function in protecting the plasma membrane from acidic environments in both normal and cancer cells. These findings warrant further investigation of as a target of cancer therapy and diagnosis.