J Korean Soc Coloproctol.  2001 Feb;17(1):1-6.

The Expression of Gastrin and Gastrin/ CCK-B Receptor mRNA in Cancer and Normal Tissue of Large Intestine

• Oh JH
• Hwang YJ
• Chung MG
• Kang DH

Abstract

PURPOSE
Gastrin, a peptide hormone produced by the G cells of the gastric antrum, plays a major role in regulating acid secretion in the stomach, and acts as a trophic factor in the gastrointestinal tract. The relationship between gastrin and the development of colorectal cancer remains controversial. To study its possible role in development or proliferation of colorectal cancer, we evaluated the expression of gastrin and gastrin/CCK-B receptor mRNA in cancer and normal tissue from colorectal cancer patients. We also reviewed clinical records to evaluate the correlations between gastrin receptor expression and clinical characteristics of colorectal cancer.
METHODS
Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to evaluate mRNA expression for gastrin and gastrin/CCK-B receptor in 26 surgical specimens of colorectal cancer.
RESULTS
The mRNA expression of gastrin was detected in 24 out of 26 cancer specimens and 9 out of 26 normal colon specimens (p<0.05). The mRNA expression of gastrin/ CCK-B receptor was detected in 18 out of 26 cancer specimens and 17 out of 26 normal colon specimens (p>0.05). There was no significant correlation between gastrin receptor expression and clinical characteristics of colorectal cancer.
CONCLUSIONS
The gastrin gene products might be more important than gastrin/CCK-B receptor in development or proliferation of colorectal cancer, which supports the hypothesis that gastrin gene products play a role in proliferation of colorectal cancer as an autocrine factor.

Keyword

Gastrin; Gastrin/CCK-B receptor; Colorectal cancer

MeSH Terms

Colon
Colorectal Neoplasms
Gastrin-Secreting Cells
Gastrins*
Gastrointestinal Tract
Humans
Intestine, Large*
Pyloric Antrum
Receptor, Cholecystokinin B*
RNA, Messenger*
Stomach
Gastrins
RNA, Messenger
Receptor, Cholecystokinin B