RESUMO
PURPOSE: The prognosis of bladder cancer is related to tumor grade and stage. Because these pathological changes are preceded by molecular alterations, new molecular markers are needed in early diagnosis. New target molecular biomarkers can be differentially expressed genes(DEGs) between normal and cancer tissues. We tried to find a new DEG and demonstrated that it may be related to the development of the bladder cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cancer tissues were obtained from 39 patients with urothelial cell carcinoma, treated by transurethral resection of tumor (TURB) since 2002. Normal bladder tissues were obtained from the same patients during TURB. We compared the mRNA profiles between normal and cancer tissues using annealing control primer(ACP)-based Genefishing(TM) PCR to identify the DEGs in normal and cancer tissues of one same patient. To validate the result of ACP-based GeneFishing(TM) PCR, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) was performed on those of 39 patients. RESULTS: According to the result of ACP-based Genefishing(TM) PCR, EAR-3 gene was only present or markedly upregulated in normal tissue, compared with cancer tissues. The expression pattern that EAR-3 gene was downregulated in cancer tissues, irrespective of the clinicopathologic parameters was confirmed by RT-PCR in 39 patients. CONCLUSIONS: EAR-3 gene was downregulated in cancer tissues, irrespective of clinicopathologic parameters, compared with normal tissues in the bladder of the same patient. Therefore, we suggested that EAR-3 gene may be also play a role in bladder cancer development.