Overexpression of MUC5 genes is associated with early post-operative metastasis in non-small-cell lung cancer

✍ Scribed by Chong-Jen Yu; Pan-Chyr Yang; Chia-Tung Shun; Yung-Chie Lee; Sow-Hsong Kuo; Kwen-Tay Luh

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: French
• Weight: 919 KB
• Volume: 69
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0020-7136
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0215(19961220)69:6<457::aid-ijc7>3.0.co;2-3

✦ Synopsis

Mucin glycoprotein can promote tumor-cell invasion metastasis and modulate the immune recognition of cancer. This study aimed to elucidate the clinical significance of mucin gene overexpression in lung cancer. We collected 60 lung cancer samples and paired non-tumorous lung portions of varying types and stages. Slot-blot analysis with specific anti-sense oligonucleotide probes derived from tandem repeat sequence of MUC I , -2, -3, -4, 58 and 5AC were utilized to compare the amount of mucin gene mRNA in tumor samples with that of the nontumorous counterparts. A ratio higher than I .5 for each specific mucin mRNA amount was considered to indicate mucin gene overexpression in tumors. lmmunohistochemical staining of monoclonal antibodies against mature airway mucin (I 7Q2) and MUC I mucin protein (HMFG2) were also used to analyze mucin protein. The study showed that overexpression of mucin genes frequently occurred in lung cancer (25 out of 60, 41.7%), but that there was no preferential expression of a particular mucin gene or a combination of mucin genes in these tumors. The overexpression of mucin genes and mucin protein had no correlation with tumor stage, nodal stage, histology or pathological differentiation grade. Tumors of smokers had higher MUCSB and MUCSAC mRNA expression ratios than those of nonsmokers. Tumors with increased expression of mucin genes tended to be associated with post-operative relapse, especially when MUC58 and MUCSAC genes were overexpressed (p = 0.015 and 0.025, respectively). The study suggests that overexpression of novel tracheobronchial mucin genes may result in an increased likelihood of post-operative lung-cancer recurrence or metastases.