Abstract
BackgroundWhether the expression of Golgi phosphoprotein 3 (GOLPH3) correlates with esophageal cancer tumorigenesis is currently unclear. The aim of this study was to examine GOLPH3 expression in patients with esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC) and explore its clinical significance.MethodsDifferences in the expression of GOLPH3 at the mRNA and protein level were examined via quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR and western blotting, respectively. GOLPH3 expression levels in ESCC tissue were determined through immunohistochemistry, and were compared in accordance with specific clinicopathological features of the patients and tissue specimens. Factors associated with patient survival were also analyzed.ResultsA notably higher level of GOLPH3 expression was found in ESCC cell lines and tissues at both mRNA and protein levels. High expression of GOLPH3 in ESCC patients was positively associated with clinical stage, TNM classification, histological differentiation and vital status (all P<0.0001). Expression of GOLPH3 was found to be an independent prognostic factor in ESCC patients. ESCC patients expressing high levels of GOLPH3 exhibited a substantially lower 5-year overall survival than GOLPH3-negative patients. Furthermore, a significant correlation between high GOLPH3 expression and shorter overall survival time was found in different subgroups of ESCC patients stratified by the clinical stage, T classification, and lymph node metastasis.ConclusionsExperiments demonstrated potential involvement of GOLPH3 in the development, differentiation, and tumorigenesis of ESCC, and concludes the possibility of its use as a diagnostic and prognostic marker in patients with ESCC.
Highlights
Esophageal cancer ranks as the ninth most common malignancy and sixth most frequent cause of cancer death worldwide, with occurrence rates varying greatly by geographic location [1]
Increased expression of Golgi phosphoprotein 3 (GOLPH3) in esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC) at both mRNA and protein levels quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) and western blotting analyses were respectively conducted to determine the levels of GOLPH3 mRNA and protein, in both normal human esophageal epithelial cells and ESCC cell lines, including KYSE-30, KYSE-140, KYSE-180, ECa-109, KYSE-510, KYSE-520, KYSE-410, 108Ca, TE-1, EC18, and HKESC-1
GOLPH3 expression showed barely detectable in normal human esophageal cells, whereas a notably higher level of GOLPH3 expression was found in all tumor cell lines at both the mRNA and protein levels (Figure 1A, 1B)
Summary
Esophageal cancer ranks as the ninth most common malignancy and sixth most frequent cause of cancer death worldwide, with occurrence rates varying greatly by geographic location [1]. According to a recent survey, China, a region with relatively high incidence, reports 167,200 cases of esophageal cancer out of a global total of approximately 310,400 each year [2]. The overall 5-year survival rate for esophageal cancer is approximately 15% [3]. The etiology of esophageal cancer is a complex process that involves cumulative mutations in multiple genes, but its exact pathogenesis is still unclear. Previous reports have shown that genetic changes frequently associated with the development of esophageal cancer include the p53 mutation, inactivation of p16, cyclin D1 amplification, and overexpression of c-Myc or EGFR [4,5]. Whether the expression of Golgi phosphoprotein 3 (GOLPH3) correlates with esophageal cancer tumorigenesis is currently unclear. The aim of this study was to examine GOLPH3 expression in patients with esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC) and explore its clinical significance
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