Downregulation of programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4) in tumorigenesis and progression of human digestive tract cancers

Tumour Biol. 2013 Dec;34(6):3879-85. doi: 10.1007/s13277-013-0975-9. Epub 2013 Jul 10.

Abstract

Nowadays, digestive tract cancers become the commonest neoplasia and one of the leading causes of cancer deaths worldwide. The development of diagnosis and therapy is urgently required. Programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4), a new tumor suppressor, has been documented to be a potential diagnostic tool and treatment target for neoplasia due to the inhabitation of tumor promotion/progression and metastasis. However, its role in human digestive tract cancers is few available up to now. In this study, we examined the expression of PDCD4 in human digestive tract cancers (61 gastric cancer, 65 colorectal cancer, and 69 pancreatic cancer patients) by Western blot analysis, reverse transcription (RT)-PCR, and immunohistochemistry. Western blot, RT-PCR, and immunohistochemistry examination showed that expressions of PDCD4 were significantly lower in cancers specimens than in noncancerous tissues. Among the different differentiated cancer tissues, PDCD4 expression was significantly lower in moderately or poorly differentiated cancers than in well-differentiated cancers (p < 0.05). Our findings suggested that PDCD4 might be a potentially valuable molecular target in diagnosis and therapy for human digestive tract cancers.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins / genetics
  • Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins / metabolism*
  • Blotting, Western
  • Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / genetics
  • Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / metabolism*
  • Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / pathology
  • Down-Regulation*
  • Female
  • Gastric Mucosa / metabolism
  • Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / genetics
  • Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / pathology
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • Humans
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasm Staging
  • RNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • RNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Stomach / pathology

Substances

  • Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins
  • PDCD4 protein, human
  • RNA-Binding Proteins