ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The STK15 gene located on chromosome 20q13.2 encodes a centrosome-associated kinase critical for regulated chromosome segregation and cytokinesis. Recent studies have demonstrated STK15 to be significantly associated with many tumors, with aberrant expression obseved in many human malignancies. The purpose of this study was to investigate expression of STK15 in esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCCs) in a Mongolian population. METHODS: Two non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms in the coding region of STK15, rs2273535 (Phe31Ile) and rs1047972 (Val57Ile) were assessed in 380 ESCC patients and 380 healthy controls. We also detected STK15 mRNA expression in 39 esophageal squamous cell carcinomas and corresponding adjacent tissues by real time PCR. RESULTS: rs2273535 showed a significant association with ESCC in our Mongolian population (rs227353, P allele=0.0447, OR (95%CI)=1.259 (1.005~1.578)). Real time PCR analysis of ESCC tissues showed that expression of STK15 mRNA in cancer tissues was higher than in normal tissues (p=0.013). CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that functional SNPs in the STK15 gene are associated with ESCC in a Mongolian population and up-regulation of STK15 mRNAoccurs in ESCC tumors compared adjacent normal tissues. STK15 may thus have an important role in the prognosis of ESCC and be a potential therapeutic target.
Subject(s)
Aurora Kinase A/genetics , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/genetics , Esophageal Neoplasms/genetics , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide/genetics , Adult , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/epidemiology , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/pathology , Case-Control Studies , Esophageal Neoplasms/epidemiology , Esophageal Neoplasms/pathology , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Mongolia/epidemiology , Neoplasm Staging , Prognosis , RNA, Messenger/genetics , Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction , Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction , Up-RegulationABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a malignancy with a poor prognosis. We aimed to explore whether the expression of Long Non-Coding RNA (LncRNA) growth arrest-specific transcript 5 (GAS5) is associated with RCC genesis. METHODS: We selected twelve clinical samples diagnosed for renal clear cell carcinoma and found that the LncRNA GAS5 transcript levels were significantly reduced relative to those in adjacent unaffected normal renal tissues. RESULTS: In addition, expression of GAS5 was lower in the RCC cell line A498 than that in normal renal cell line HK-2. Furthermore, using functional expression cloning, we found that overexpression of GAS5 in A498 cells inhibited cell proliferation, induced cell apoptosis and arrested cell cycling. At the same time, the migration and invasion potential of A498 cells were inhibited compared to control groups. CONCLUSION: Our study provided the first evidence that a decrease in GAS5 expression is associated with RCC genesis and progression and overexpression of GAS5 can act as a tumor suppressor for RCC, providing a potential attractive therapeutic approach for this malignancy.
