J Korean Gastric Cancer Assoc.  2004 Dec;4(4):207-212.

Urokinase Plasminogen Activator Receptor Gene Expression and Clinico-Pathologic Feature in Gastric Cancer Patients

• Kim YG
• Lee KH
• Kim MK
• Lee JL
• Hyun MS
• Kim SH
• Kim HS

Abstract

PUPOSE: Invasion and metastasis in solid tumors require the action of tumor-associated proteases. The serine protease urokinase-type plasminogen (uPA) and receptor (uPAR) appear to have a major function in these processes. Expression of the uPAR is elevated in breast and colon carcinomas, and this is often associated with invasiveness and poor prognosis. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the expression of the uPAR gene correlates with clinico-pathological parameters in human gastric carcinomas.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
We examined the expression of uPAR mRNA by using northern blot analysis and RT-PCR in 35 gastric carcinomas and the surrounding normal mucosa. Macroscopic and histopathological tumor findings and survival rates were obtained from the patient records and from endoscopic, surgical, and pathological reports.
RESULTS
The expression of uPAR and was higher in most neoplasms than in the corresponding normal mucosal tissue. uPAR mRNA expression in tumors correlated well with lymph-node metastasis (P<0.02) and tumor stage (P<0.01). The survival rate of patients with tumors displaying high uPAR expression levels was significantly lower (P<0.04) than that of patients without uPAR expression, but IL-8 showed only the tendency of survival difference.
CONCLUSION
These results suggest that uPAR may be an important prognostic factor in human gastric carcinomas.

Keyword

Tumor invasion; Metastasis; uPAR; Gastric cancer

MeSH Terms

Blotting, Northern
Breast
Colon
Gene Expression*
Humans
Interleukin-8
Mucous Membrane
Neoplasm Metastasis
Peptide Hydrolases
Plasminogen Activators*
Plasminogen*
Prognosis
RNA, Messenger
Serine Proteases
Stomach Neoplasms*
Survival Rate
Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator*
Interleukin-8
Peptide Hydrolases
Plasminogen
Plasminogen Activators
RNA, Messenger
Serine Proteases
Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator