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Expression of uridine and thymidine phosphorylase genes in human breast carcinoma
Author(s) -
Kanzaki Atsuko,
Takebayashi Yuji,
Bando Hiroko,
Eliason James F.,
Watanabe Shinichi,
Miyashita Hitoshi,
Fukumoto Manabu,
Toi Masakazu,
Uchida Takafumi
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/ijc.10105
Subject(s) - thymidine phosphorylase , biology , gene expression , cancer research , phosphorolysis , immunostaining , breast carcinoma , angiogenesis , medicine , gene , endocrinology , microbiology and biotechnology , purine nucleoside phosphorylase , cancer , breast cancer , immunohistochemistry , enzyme , immunology , genetics , biochemistry , purine
Uridine phosphorylase (UPase) and an angiogenic enzyme, thymidine phosphorylase (dThdPase) are involved in degradation of the pyrimidine nucleosides through phosphorolysis. The expression levels of UPase and dThdPase are higher in human solid tumors including breast carcinomas than in normal tissues. To clarify the correlation between the expression levels of UPase and dThdPase genes and the clinicopathological factors, mRNA levels of these enzymes were examined by RT‐PCR in 43 breast carcinomas. UPase gene expression was not correlated with dThdPase gene expression (regression coefficient R = 0.032). Although the expression level of the dThdPase gene was correlated with angiogenesis, detected by immunostaining endothelial cells ( R = 0.66), that of UPase gene was not ( R = 0.044). These results suggest that UPase does not have a strong angiogenic activity. The UPase gene expression levels in tumors of patients who relapsed were significantly higher than in those from patients who did not ( p = 0.039). Although the expression levels of neither UPase or dThdPase were associated with age, pT, pN, pM, estrogen or progesterone receptor positivity, the patients with the higher levels of UPase gene expression had worse survival ( p = 0.0038) than those with lower levels. In contrast, the expression of dThdPase gene was not related to relapse or survival of these patients with breast carcinoma. Our findings suggest that the expression level of UPase gene may be an independent prognostic marker in human breast carcinoma. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.