THE ASSOCIATION OF THE EXPRESSION OF MTA1, NM23H1 WITH THE INVASION, METASTASIS OF OVARIAN CARCINOMA

Objective. To understanding the molecular mechanisms in invasion andmetastasis of the ovarian carcinoma, we investigate a novel candidate metastasis―associated gene (MTA1) and nm23Hl mRNA expression and mutation in ovarian carcinoma. Methods. Twenty primary ovariancarcinoma specimens, 20 corresponding lymph nodes and 8 normal ovarian was examined for mRNAexpression and mutation of MTA1 and nm23Hl genes by reverse-transcription ploymerase chain reaction(RT―PCR) and RT―PCR―SSCP analysis. The level of the expression was determined by the relativeoptic desity (ROD) of the PCR products. Results. The frequency of MAT1 overexpression was 100% (7/7)in primary ovarian carcinoma with metastasis but only 38.5% (5/13) in those without metastasis(P=0.0103). Overexpression of MAT1 was observed in 87.5% (6/7) of lymph nodes with metastasis butonly 23% (3/13). of lymph nodes without metastasis (P=0.0118). In contrast with MAT1, low expressionof nm23H1 mRNA was seen in 7 of 7 o-varian carcinoma with metastasis but only in 4 of 13(30%) ofthose without metastassis (P=0.0043). Low nm23H1 expression was also seen in 7 of 7 lymph nodes withmetastasis but only in 5 of 13 (38.5%) nonmetastatic lymph nodes (P=0.0102). The ROD ratio of MAT1to nm23Hl increased with the development of metastasis. No mutation of MAT1 and nm23H1 genes wasfound by SSCP analysis. Conclusion. The mRNA expression of MTA1 and nm23H1 is positively andnegatively correlated with lymph node metastasis, respectively. Expression abnormalities but notmutation of the two genes are frequent events related to lymph node metastasis of ovarian cancer.

EVALUATION OF THE PROGNOSTIC VALUE OF nm23 GENE EXPRESSION IN BREAST CANCER

Objective: To investigate the expression of nm23 gene and evaluate its prognostic value in breast cancer. Methods: nm23 expressions were detected in 101 breast cancer patients (group 1) by immunohistochemistry. RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry were used to measure expressions of nm23 gene in another 68 patients with breast cancer (group 2). Results: nm23 gene expression in group 1 was inversely associated with distant metastasis and lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). In 44 patients with negative lymph node, 9 cases progressed to distant metastasis, 7 of them (77.8%) showed low expression of nm23 gene (P<0.05). In 57 patients with positive lymph node, 24 our of 29 patients who had no distant metastasis (82.8%) expressed nm23 gene at high level (P<0.05). Meanwhile, there were 6 patients with distant metastasis in the group 2, all of thenm expressed nm23 gene mRNA at low level. Conclusion: The results showed that nm23 gene might play an independent role in predicting prognosis of breast cancer.

THE HIGH-LEVEL EXPRESSION OF nm23(NDP)GENE IN NPC

We have studied the expression of nm23(NDP) in 50 cases nasopharyngeal biopsies with anti-nm23(NDP) antibodies. As a result, the NDP positive rate in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) (95.54%) markedly increased (P<0.05), as compared with that in the normal nasopharyngeal epithelia (50.00-60.00%) and lymphocytes (52.00%). There were cytopfasmic type, nucleus type and mixed cytoplasmonucleus type according to NDP location in a cell. Their positive rates were 64.44%, 15.56% and 20.00% respectively in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The expression of NDP had no relation with cervical lymphometastases in NPC, and the NDP positive rates had no significance between bilateral cervical lymphometastases and unilateral (P<0.05). But the NDP expression had most relation with the NPC staging. The expression rate and the intensity in Ⅲ or Ⅳ stage patients were markedly higher than that in II stage. It points out that the high-level expression of NDP had relation with the rapid cellular proliferation in NPC, and it may indicate the bad prognoses.

Relation of nm23 gene expression to CT sign and prognosis in peripheral nonsmall cell lung cancer

CT observations and the cellular factors of molecular biology each enable one to recognize macro/micro changes in lung cancer. Growing pattern, characteristic shapes, degree of malignancy, relapse and metastasis of lung cancer are mainly determined by their molecular biology. Change of tumour shape, determined by the tumour’s biological behaviour, is the basis of CT observations. That is, the pathological change acts as a bridge which links the CT observation to molecular biology and makes the investigation of internal relationship between CT sign and molecular biology behaviour possible. As a tumour suppressor gene, nm23 gene is located in chromosome 17q21.3, encoding a nucleoside diphosphate kinase.^(1,2) We studied the expression of nm23 in peripheral nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) using the streptavidin peroxidase (SP) immunohistochemical method and investigated retrospectively the relationship between nm23 gene, CT observation, biological behaviour and prognosis of NSCLC.