Open AccessIn GERD patients, mucosal repair associated genes are upregulated in non‐inflamed oesophageal epithelium
Author(s) -
De Vries D. R.,
Ter Linde J. J. M.,
Van Herwaarden M. A.,
Schwartz M. P.,
Shephard P.,
Geng M. M.,
Smout A. J. P. M.,
Samsom M.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of cellular and molecular medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.44
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1582-4934
pISSN - 1582-1838
DOI - 10.1111/j.1582-4934.2008.00626.x
Subject(s) - gerd , epithelium , gene expression profiling , gene , gene expression , microarray , biology , microarray analysis techniques , phenotype , pathology , pathological , cancer research , medicine , disease , reflux , genetics
Previous studies addressing the effects of acid reflux and PPI therapy on gene expression in oesophageal epithelium concentrated on inflamed tissue. We aimed to determine changes in gene expression in non‐inflamed oesophageal epithelium of GERD patients. Therefore, we included 20 GERD patients with pathological total 24‐hr acid exposure of 6–12% and SAP ≥ 95%. Ten patients discontinued PPI treatment (PPI‐), 10 took pantoprazole 40 mg bid (PPI+). Ten age/sex‐matched healthy controls were recruited. Biopsies were taken from non‐inflamed mucosa 6 cm and 16 cm proximal to the squamocolumnar junction (SCJ). Gene expression profiling of biopsies from 6 cm was performed on Human Genome U133 Plus 2.0 arrays (Affymetrix). Genes exhibiting a fold change >1.4 (t‐test P ‐value < 1 E – 4) were considered differentially expressed. Results were confirmed by real‐time RT‐PCR. In PPI‐ patients, 92 microarray probesets were deregulated. The majority of the corresponding genes were associated with cell–cell contacts, cytoskeletal reorganization and cellular motility, suggesting facilitation of a migratory phenotype. Genes encoding proteins with anti‐apoptotic or anti‐proliferative functions or stress‐protective functions were also deregulated. No probesets were deregulated in PPI+ patients. QPCR analysis of 20 selected genes confirmed most of the deregulations in PPI‐ patients, and showed several deregulated genes in PPI+ patients as well. In the biopsies taken at 16 cm QPCR revealed no deregulations of the selected genes. We conclude that upon acid exposure, oesophageal epithelial cells activate a process globally known as epithelial restitution: up‐regulation of anti‐apoptotic, anti‐oxidant and migration associated genes. Possibly this process helps maintaining barrier function.