Open AccessIncreased HOXC6 mRNA expression is a novel biomarker of gastric cancer
Author(s) -
JunSub Jung,
Soon-Wook Jeong,
Hoiseon Jeong,
Hidemasa Oh,
Jung Woo Choi,
Eung Seok Lee,
Young Sik Kim,
Yoonjin Kwak,
Woo Ho Kim,
Ju Han Lee
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0236811
Subject(s) - messenger rna , cancer , biomarker , in situ hybridization , biology , immunohistochemistry , clinical significance , rna , real time polymerase chain reaction , cancer research , gene expression , oncology , pathology , medicine , microbiology and biotechnology , gene , immunology , genetics
In this study, we aimed to investigate the molecular biomarkers that are pivotal for the development and progression of gastric cancer (GC). We analyzed clinical specimens using RNA sequencing to identify the target genes. We found that the expression of HOXC6 mRNA was upregulated with the progression of cancer, which was validated by quantitative real time PCR and RNA in-situ hybridization. To compare the protein expression of HOXC6, we evaluated GC and normal gastric tissue samples using western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry. We detected significantly higher levels of HOXC6 in the GC tissues than in the normal controls at both mRNA and protein levels. The expression levels of HOXC6 mRNA in patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC) were significantly higher than those in patients with early gastric cancer (EGC). Kaplan-Meier curves showed that high expression of HOXC6 mRNA is significantly associated with poor clinical prognosis. Our findings suggest that HOXC6 mRNA may be a novel biomarker and can be potentially valuable in predicting the prognosis of GC patients. Especially, HOXC6 mRNA in-situ hybridization may be a diagnostic tool for predicting prognosis of individual GC patients.