Expression of SPARC like protein 1 (SPARCL1), extracellular matrix-associated protein is down regulated in gastric adenocarcinoma.

Background: SPARC-like protein 1 (SPARCL1/Hevin), a member of the SPARC family is defined by the presence of a highly acidic domain-I, a follistatin-like domain, and an extracellular calcium (EC) binding domain. SPARCL1 has been shown to be down-regulated in many types of cancer and may serve as a negative regulator of cell growth and proliferation.

Methods: Both tumor and adjacent normal tissue were collected from patients with gastric adenocarcinoma. Monoclonal antibody developed against recombinant SPARCL1 was used to analyze the expression of SPARCL1 by immunohisto chemical and western blotting (WB) analysis.

Results: The expression of SPARCL1 was found to be significantly lower or negligible in gastric adenocarcinoma tissues in nearly all of the cases in comparison with adjacent normal tissue. This comparison was found to be independent of the patient's age, sex, and stage of cancer.

Conclusions: We postulate that down regulation of SPARCL1 may be related to inactivation of its tumor suppressor functions and might play an important role in the development of gastric adenocarcinoma.