Expression of a novel immunoglobulin gene SNC73 in human cancer and non-cancerous tissues.

Aim: To investigate the expression of immunoglobulin gene SNC73 in malignant tumors and non-cancerous normal tissues.

Methods: Expression level of SNC73 in tumors and non-cancerous tissues from the same patient was determined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (RT-PCR-ELISA) in 90 cases of malignant tumors, including colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer and liver cancer. Analysis on the correlation of SNC73 expression with sex, age, site, grade of differentiation, depth of invasion, and metastases in colorectal cancer patients was made.

Results: Expression level of SNC73 in non-cancerous colorectal mucosa and colorectal cancerous tissues was 1.234+/-0.842 and 0.737+/-0.731, respectively (P<0.01), with the mean ratio of 7.134+/-14.092 (range, 0.36-59.54). Expression of SNC73 showed no significant difference among gastric cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer and liver cancer when compared with non-cancerous tissues (P>0.05). No correlation was found between SNC73 expression level and various clinicopathological factors, including sex, age, site, grade of differentiation, depth of invasion and metastases of CRC patients.

Conclusion: Down-regulation of SNC73 expression may be a relatively specific phenomenon in colorectal cancer. SNC73 is a potential genetic marker for the carcinongenesis of colorectal cancer. The relationship of SNC73 expression and carcinogenesis of colorectal cancer merits further study.