Effects of transketolase-like gene TKTL1 on occurrence and metastasis of human nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Abstract

To investigate the effects of transketolase-like gene TKTL1 on the occurrence and metastasis of human nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Real-time PCR was used to determine the mRNA expression levels of transketolase gene family (TKT, TKTL1, and TKTL2) in the 65 biopsy specimens of human nasopharyngeal carcinoma, 9 at stage I, 15 at stage II, 16 at stage III, 13 at stage IVA, and 12 at stage IVB, 42 with metastasis and 232 without metastasis, and 9 biopsy specimens of chronic nasopharyngitis. The TKL activity level of the NPC tissues was 21.6 +/- 2.8, significantly higher than that of the chronic nasopharyngitis tissues (6.2 +/- 1.3, P < 0.01). The TKL activity level of the NPC tissues with metastasis was 26.5 +/- 3.2, significantly higher than that of the NPC tissues without metastasis (17.6 +/- 2.1, P < 0.01). There was no significant difference in the expression levels of TKT and TKTL2 genes between the human NPC and chronic nasopharyngitis tissues (both P > 0.05). The expression level of TKTL1 gene in the NPC tissues was 5.25 +/- 0.32, significantly higher than that in the chronic nasopharyngitis tissues (0.98 +/- 0.11, t = 6.23, P < 0.01), and the expression level of TKTL1 gene in the NPC tissues with lymph node metastasis was 5.86 +/- 0.38, significantly higher than that in the NPC tissues without lymph node metastasis (4.18 +/- 0.22, t = 3.28, P < 0.01). TKTL1 may play an important role in the occurrence and metastasis of human NPC and become a potential target for novel anti-cancer therapy.