Suppression of MAL gene expression in gastric cancer correlates with metastasis and mortality

• Published in: Fukuoka igaku zasshi = Hukuoka acta medica Vol. 104; no. 10; p. 344
• Main Authors: Kurashige, Junji, Sawada, Genta, Takahashi, Yusuke, Eguchi, Hidetoshi, Sudo, Tomoya, Ikegami, Toru, Yoshizumi, Tomoharu, Soejima, Yuji, Ikeda, Tetsuo, Kawanaka, Hirofumi, Uchiyama, Hideaki, Yamashita, Yo-Ichi, Morita, Masaru, Oki, Eiji, Saeki, Hiroshi, Sugimachi, Keishi, Watanabe, Masayuki, Mori, Masaki, Baba, Hideo, Mimori, Koshi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan 25.10.2013
• Subjects: Cell Transformation, Neoplastic - genetics; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic - pathology; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 2 - genetics; Down-Regulation - genetics; Down-Regulation - physiology; Female; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic - genetics; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic - physiology; Genes, Tumor Suppressor; Humans; Lymphatic Metastasis - genetics; Male; Myelin and Lymphocyte-Associated Proteolipid Proteins - genetics; Myelin and Lymphocyte-Associated Proteolipid Proteins - physiology; Neoplasm Invasiveness - genetics; Prognosis; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Stomach Neoplasms - genetics; Stomach Neoplasms - mortality; Stomach Neoplasms - pathology; Tumor Cells, Cultured
• ISSN: 0016-254X

The Myelin and lymphocyte-associated protein gene (MAL), which is located on the long arm of chromosome 2, assigned to the region cen-q13 in humans, has been reported as tumor suppressor in several cancers. The aim of this study was to clarify the clinical significance of MAL gene in gastric cancer. The expression levels of MAL mRNA was examined using 50 resected gastric cancer specimens used by laser microdissected to determine the clinicopathological significance. MAL expression was then examined by real-time quantitative PCR assay, and we analyzed the correlation between MAL expression and clinicopathological factors. In clinicopathologic analysis, the low MAL expression group showed significantly higher incidence of lymph node metastasis than the high expression group (79% and 46%, respectively, p < 0.05). Furthermore, the low MAL expression group had a significantly poorer prognosis than the high expression group (p < 0.05). The MAL gene repression related with lymph node metastasis and poor prognosis in gastric cancer, suggesting that the MAL may be a new candidate node metastasis-suppressor gene for gastric cancer.