Clinicopathological and prognostic significance of serum and tissue Dickkopf-1 levels in human hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Although Dickkopf-1 (DKK1) is known to be a negative regulator of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, it has been recently found to be upregulated in cancers.

Aims: We investigated the clinical and prognostic significance of both serum and transcript DKK1 and its functional roles in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: We evaluated the expression level of DKK1 in both tissue and serum samples from patients with HCC using GeneChip microarray and real-time-quantitative PCR and sandwich ELISA system respectively.

The gene expression of adrenomedullin, calcitonin-receptor-like receptor and receptor activity modifying proteins (RAMPs) in CCl4-induced rat liver cirrhosis.

This study was undertaken to determine AM expression in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver cirrhosis developed with peritoneal ascites. Sprague-Dawley rats received subcutaneous injections of CCl4 twice weekly in olive oil (1:1, 0.3 ml per kg body weight) for 6 or 12 weeks until ascites developed, or saline in olive oil as control.

CDX2 co-localizes with liver-intestine cadherin in intestinal metaplasia and adenocarcinoma of the stomach.

CDX2 and liver-intestine (LI)-cadherin are intestine-specific markers and both are physiologically expressed in the small intestine and colon. Recent studies have demonstrated that CDX2 regulates LI-cadherin gene (CDH17) expression in colorectal cancer. The present study investigated the relationship of CDX2 and LI-cadherin expression in gastric cancer.

Deregulation of E-cadherin-catenin complex in precancerous lesions of gastric adenocarcinoma.

Background And Aim: Decrease in expression of the E-cadherin-catenin complex is an important element in gastric carcinogenesis. However, the expression of the complex in gastric precancerous lesions has not been well studied. The present study aimed to examine the serial change in expression of E-cadherin-catenin complex in the precancerous lesions of gastric cancer patients.