Increased zinc finger protein zFOC1 transcripts in gastric cancer compared with normal gastric tissue
- 1Molecular Medicine Unit, St James’s University Hospital, Leeds LS9 7TF, West Yorkshire, UK
- 2Genomics Unit, Glaxo Smith Kline Research and Development, Stevenage SG1 2NY, Hertfordshire, UK
- Correspondence to: Dr J E Crabtree, Level 7, Clinical Sciences Building, St James’s University Hospital, Leeds LS9 7TF, UK; msjjc{at}stjames.leeds.ac.uk
- Accepted 18 March 2003
Abstract
Background: Screening of cDNA arrays of the IMAGE library identified human zFOC1 as a differentially expressed cDNA that was upregulated in KATO III gastric cancer cells following stimulation with the gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori.
Aims: To determine the expression of zFOC1 in gastric mucosa with and without H pylori infection and in patients with gastric cancer.
Results: zFOC1 is localised on chromosome 12q24.3 and encodes a zinc finger protein. Expression studies in human H pylori infected and uninfected gastric biopsies, gastric tumours, and gastric cancer cell lines revealed that zFOCI gene transcripts are significantly higher in gastric cancer than in non-cancerous gastric tissues.
Conclusions: The zFOC1 gene appears to be a tumour marker associated with gastric cancer.
- EST, expressed sequence tag
- GAPDH, glyceraldehyde 3 phosphate dehydrogenase
- PAI, pathogenicity island
- RT-PCR, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction
- SDS, sodium dodecyl sulfate
- SCC, saline sodium citrate
- UTR, untranslated region
