Department of Gastroenterology, Nanchang University, Nanchang, People's Republic of China.
Mol Med Rep. 2012 Jun;5(6):1438-42. doi: 10.3892/mmr.2012.849. Epub 2012 Mar 27.
The aim of this study was to investigate the mRNA and protein expression of STAT3, MMP-1 and TIMP-1 in gastric cancer (GC), and to explore the correlations between these proteins and the biological behaviors of GC. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was employed to detect the mRNA expression of STAT3, MMP-1 and TIMP-1 in GC tissues (n=30), adjacent normal tissues (n=30) and superficial gastritis (SG) tissues (n=30). Immunohistochemistry was performed using the SP method to measure the protein expression of STAT3 (unphosphorylated), MMP-1 and TIMP-1. The correlation between the pathological features of GC and STAT3, MMP-1 as well as TIMP-1, were evaluated. The mRNA expression of STAT3 in GC tissues (0.821±0.128) was significantly higher compared to that in adjacent normal tissues (0.355±0.100) and SG tissues (0.398±0.096) (P<0.05). The mRNA expression of MMP-1 in GC tissues (0.749±0.133) was significantly increased compared to adjacent normal tissues (0.335±0.106) and SG tissues (0.345±0.063) (P<0.05). The mRNA expression of TIMP-1 in GC tissues (0.386±0.125) was comparable to that in adjacent normal tissues (0.343±0.078) and SG tissues (0.345±0.061), but the mRNA expression of TIMP-1 in GC tissues was significantly correlated with the differentiation of GC cells and lymph node metastasis. STAT3, MMP-1 and TIMP-1 were significantly associated with the differentiation of GC cells and lymph node metastasis, but not related to age, gender and tumor size. The positive rate of unphosphorylated STAT3 expression was dramatically higher in GC tissues (86.7%) compared to that in adjacent normal tissues (16.7%) and SG tissues (10.0%) (P<0.05). The positive rate of MMP-1 protein expression in GC tissues (63.3%) was significantly higher compared to that in adjacent normal tissues (13.3%) and SG tissues (16.7%) (P<0.05). However, no significant difference was observed in the TIMP-1-positive rate among the three groups (23.3, 16.7 and 10.0%, respectively; P>0.05). STAT3 and MMP-1 may be involved in the development and metastasis of GC, and treatment targeting TIMP-1 may be a promising strategy.
本研究旨在探讨 STAT3、MMP-1 和 TIMP-1 在胃癌（GC）中的 mRNA 和蛋白表达，并探讨这些蛋白与 GC 生物学行为之间的相关性。采用逆转录-聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）检测 30 例 GC 组织、30 例癌旁正常组织和 30 例浅表性胃炎（SG）组织中 STAT3、MMP-1 和 TIMP-1 的 mRNA 表达。采用免疫组织化学 SP 法检测 STAT3（未磷酸化）、MMP-1 和 TIMP-1 的蛋白表达。评估 GC 的病理特征与 STAT3、MMP-1 和 TIMP-1 的相关性。GC 组织中 STAT3 的 mRNA 表达（0.821±0.128）明显高于癌旁正常组织（0.355±0.100）和 SG 组织（0.398±0.096）（P<0.05）。GC 组织中 MMP-1 的 mRNA 表达（0.749±0.133）明显高于癌旁正常组织（0.335±0.106）和 SG 组织（0.345±0.063）（P<0.05）。GC 组织中 TIMP-1 的 mRNA 表达（0.386±0.125）与癌旁正常组织（0.343±0.078）和 SG 组织（0.345±0.061）相当，但 GC 组织中 TIMP-1 的 mRNA 表达与 GC 细胞分化和淋巴结转移显著相关。STAT3、MMP-1 和 TIMP-1 与 GC 细胞分化和淋巴结转移显著相关，而与年龄、性别和肿瘤大小无关。GC 组织中未磷酸化 STAT3 的阳性率（86.7%）明显高于癌旁正常组织（16.7%）和 SG 组织（10.0%）（P<0.05）。GC 组织中 MMP-1 蛋白表达的阳性率（63.3%）明显高于癌旁正常组织（13.3%）和 SG 组织（16.7%）（P<0.05）。然而，三组中 TIMP-1 的阳性率无显著差异（分别为 23.3%、16.7%和 10.0%；P>0.05）。STAT3 和 MMP-1 可能参与了 GC 的发生和转移，针对 TIMP-1 的治疗可能是一种有前途的策略。
