Expression of Mina53 and its significance in gastric carcinoma.

ABSTRACT

AIM: To study the expression of Mina53 and its relationships with clinicopathological characteristics, antioncogene inactivation and tumor proliferation in human gastric carcinoma, and to explore the role of Mina53 in carcinogenesis and tumor progression. METHODS: Expression of Mina53 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) was determined in gastric carcinoma (n=79), gastric dysplasia (n=21) and normal gastric tissues (n=20), while p53 was measured in gastric carcinoma tissues by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Mina53 was negatively expressed in all normal mucosa tissues. Dysplasia specimens showed weakly positive staining for Mina53 in 3 of 21 cases. Elevated expression of Mina53 was observed in 72 (91.1%) of the gastric carcinomas. No significant associations were found between Mina53 and clinicopathological characteristics such as sex, age, histological differentiation, distant metastasis and lymph node metastasis (p>0.05). There was a significant association with depth of invasion (X2=5.385, p<0.05) and TMN stage (X2=6.255, p<0.05). In gastric carcinoma, positive staining for p53 was detected in 53 of 79 cases (67.1%), showing a significant association with Mina53 (X2=5.161, p<0.05). The mean (+/- SD) PCNA labeling index for gastric carcinoma was 39.47+/-16.92%. Mina53 expression was positively associated with PCNA level (r=0.756, p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Mina53 was overexpressed in gastric carcinoma and associated with tumor proliferation and antioncogene inactivation. Mina53 could therefore play an important role in the carcinogenesis and progression of gastric carcinoma.