β-Secretase 1 and its Naturally Occurring Anti-Sense RNA are Down-Regulated in Gastric Cancer.

β-secretase (BACE1) and its naturally occurring anti-sense RNA (BACE1-AS) have established role in the pathologic process leading to Alzheimer's disease. Their possible implication in the neoangiogenesis suggests that they might be involved in the tumorigenesis events as well. In the present study, we compared transcript levels of these genes in 30 gastric cancer samples and their adjacent non-cancerous tissues (ANCTs) to find whether their altered expression might facilitate discrimination of these two sets of samples. Expressions of both genes were associated with site of primary tumor. Both genes were significantly down-regulated in tumoral tissues compared with ANCTs. Significant correlations were detected between transcript levels of these genes in both sets of samples. Transcript levels of BACE1 and BACE1-AS had the diagnostic power of 75% based on Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. The current study provides evidences for contribution of BACE1 and BACE1-AS in gastric cancer evolution and suggests their potential as diagnostic markers.