Significance of MAGE A1-6 mRNA Expression in Sputa of the Head and Neck Cancer Patients: A Preliminary Report / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: We have reported that the expression of MAGE gene is specific to the mRNA level or protein level in head and neck cancer tissues. In this study, we investigated the applicability of MAGE gene to molecular diagnosis of head and neck cancer by detecting MAGE mRNA with common MAGE primers in sputa of patients. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Nested RT-PCR with MAGE common primers were designed by authors and were performed to detect MAGE 1, 2, 3, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, and 6 (MAGE A1-6) genes in sputa obtained from 22 cancer patients (17 squamous cell carcinoma of laryngopharynx, 2 lung metastsis after surgery for tongue and hypopharyngeal cancer, 2 neck metastasis from primary lung cancer, and 1 case of sarcoma of hypopharynx) and 40 normal persons. RESULTS: Of 17 sputa from squamous cell carcinoma patients, expression of MAGE mRNA was positive in 13 (76.5%) cases. MAGE was detected in 72.7% (8/11) of laryngeal cancer, 50% (1/2) of base of tongue cancer, and 100% in hypopharyngeal (2/2) and tonsillar cancer. According to T stage, T1, T2, T3, T4 was positive in 50% (2/4), 100% (5/5), 66.6% (2/3), and 80% (4/5) respectively. In case of primary lung cancer, metastatic lung cancer, and hypopharyngeal sarcoma, all expressed MAGE mRNA. Among 22 cancer patients, 81.8% (18/22) were positive. MAGE expression was detected in 5% (2/40) of the normal control. CONCLUSION: Nested RT-PCR with common MAGE primers was helpful for assessing the presence of cancer cell in the sputa of the respiratory tract. This examination can be used as a tumor marker for the screening of laryngopharyngeal cancers and early detection of recurrent cancers or lung metastasis after treatment.

The Relationship between the Expressions of Common MAGE Gene Productions and the Infection of Human Papillomavirus 16, 18 type in the Cervical Swabs from the Patients of Cervical Neoplasia / 대한산부인과학회잡지

OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to evaluate the expression of MAGE gene and human papillomavirus (HPV) 16, 18 type in patients with cervical neoplasia using in exfoliated cervical cells. METHODS: The expression of common MAGE gene (MAGE 1 to 6) in cervical scraps was studied by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in 12 normal control patient and 48 patients with abnormal cytologic results. In all 60 patients, colposcopic directed biopsy and HPV test by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was done. RESULTS: The pathologic results of 60 patients was 12 cervicitis, 37 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (14 LSIL, 23 HSIL), and 11 invasive squamous cell carcinomas. No expression of common MAGE gene was detected in 12 cervical scraps of cervicitis. The common MAGE gene of LSIL, HSIL and invasive squamous cell carcinomas was expressed in two (14.3%), seventeen (73.9%), ten (90.9%) respectively. HPV type 16 or 18 was detected in 1 cervicitis, 5 LSIL, 20 HSIL and 10 invasive squamous cell carcinoma. In 51 patients (85%), the HPV test result and the common MAGE gene expression showed coincident results. CONCLUSION: This result suggests common MAGE gene might be potential tumor marker in cervical neoplasia and adjuvant test of the Papanicolaou smear.

Expression of Melanoma Antigen-Encoding Genes (MAGE) by Common Primers for MAGE-A1 to -A6 in Colorectal Carcinomas Among Koreans

This study was to investigate Melanoma-antigen gene (MAGE) expression by reverse transcription-nested polymerase chain reaction (RT-nested PCR) with the original common primers of MAGE-A1 to -A6 and analysis of correlation between its expression and the well-known clinical parameters in addition to evaluate the clinical feasibility of the common primers. Surgical tumor and corresponding nonneoplastic tissue samples from 38 patients with colorectal cancer were studied. To confirm the identities of RT-PCR products, direct sequencing was done after in vitro subcloning. No expression of MAGE was observed in the non-neoplastic colorectal mucosal tissues. Sixteen (42.1%) of 38 carcinomas expressed at least one of MAGE A-1 to -6. The expression of the MAGE genes was not related to age, sex, histological grades, the depth of invasion, metastasis to lymph nodes, vessel, neural, or perineural invasion. The identities with the corresponding mRNAs were confirmed in 6 cases for MAGE-A2 (15.8%), 6 cases for MAGE-A4 (15.8%), 2 cases for MAGE-A3 (5.3%), and one case for MAGE A-6 (2.6%). These results suggest that MAGE expressions, except those of MAGE-A2 and -A4, seem to have a limited role in the molecular pathogenesis of colon cancer. However, the common primer sets to detect of expressions for MAGE-A1 to -A6 simultaneously appear to be feasible to differentiate malignant from benign lesions in colorectal diseases.