Objective: To investigate the role of B-cell-specific Moloney murine leukemia virus integration site 1 (Bmi-1) in gastric cancer (GC) and its relationship with the clinicopathological features of GC.
Methods: Laser capture microdissection combined with real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot were used to determine the expressions of Bmi-1, the cellular homologue of avian myelocytomatosis virus (c-Myc), enhancer of Zeste homolog 2 (EZH2), phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN) and epithelial cadherin (E-cadherin) in 20 GC specimens and the adjacent non-cancerous gastric tissues.
Results: The mRNA and protein expressions of Bmi-1 in GC were increased compared with those of the non-cancerous gastric tissues (P = 0.012 and P = 0.000, respectively). Bmi-1 mRNA expression was positively correlated with tumor size, degree of tumor differentiation, invasion and lymph node metastasis. At both mRNA and protein levels, Bmi-1 was positively correlated with c-Myc and EZH2, but negatively correlated with PTEN and E-cadherin.
Conclusion: Bmi-1 might be involved in GC at both transcription and translation levels.
Keywords: Bmi-1 protein; gene expression; laser capture microdissection; neoplasm metastasis; neoplasm staging; stomach neoplasm.
© 2014 Chinese Medical Association Shanghai Branch, Chinese Society of Gastroenterology, Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.