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Human cancers overexpress genes that are specific to a variety of normal human tissues.

ABSTRACT: We have analyzed gene expression data from three different kinds of samples: normal human tissues, human cancer cell lines, and leukemic cells from lymphoid and myeloid leukemia pediatric patients. We have searched for genes that are overexpressed in human cancer and also show specific patterns of tissue-dependent expression in normal tissues. Using the expression data of the normal tissues, we identified 4,346 genes with a high variability of expression and clustered these genes according to their relative expression level. Of 91 stable clusters obtained, 24 clusters included genes preferentially expressed either only in hematopoietic tissues or in hematopoietic and one to two other tissues; 28 clusters included genes preferentially expressed in various nonhematopoietic tissues such as neuronal, testis, liver, kidney, muscle, lung, pancreas, and placenta. Analysis of the expression levels of these two groups of genes in the human cancer cell lines and leukemias identified genes that were highly expressed in cancer cells but not in their normal counterparts and, thus, were overexpressed in the cancers. The different cancer cell lines and leukemias varied in the number and identity of these overexpressed genes. The results indicate that many genes that are overexpressed in human cancer cells are specific to a variety of normal tissues, including normal tissues other than those from which the cancer originated. It is suggested that this general property of cancer cells plays a major role in determining the behavior of the cancers, including their metastatic potential.

SUBMITTER: Lotem J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1317977 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Mismatch repair-deficient breast cancers may be identified in Lynch syndrome mutation carriers, and have clinicopathological features in common with mismatch repair-deficient colorectal and endometrial cancers such as tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes and poor differentiation. Mismatch repair-deficient colorectal cancers frequently show mucinous differentiation associated with upregulation of chromosome 11 mucins. The aim of this study was to compare the protein expression of these mucins in mismatch repair-deficient and -proficient breast cancers. Cases of breast cancer (n=100) were identified from families where (1) both breast and colon cancer co-occurred and (2) families met either modified Amsterdam criteria or had at least one early-onset (<50 years) colorectal cancer. Tumour sections were stained for the epithelial mucins, MUC2, MUC5AC, MUC5B and MUC6, and the homeobox protein CDX2, a regulator of MUC2 expression. In all, 16 mismatch repair-deficient Lynch syndrome breast cancers and 84 non-Lynch breast cancers were assessed for altered mucin expression. No significant difference in the expression of MUC2, MUC5AC or MUC6 was observed between the mismatch repair-deficient and mismatch repair-proficient breast cancers; however, there was a trend for mismatch repair-deficient tumours to express high levels of MUC5B less frequently (P=0.07, OR=0.2 (0.0-1.0)). Co-expression of two or more gel-forming mucins was common. Ectopic expression of CDX2 was associated with expression of MUC2 (P=0.035, OR=8.7 (1.3-58.4)). Mismatch repair-deficient breast cancers do not show differential expression of the mucins genes on chromosome 11 when compared with mismatch repair-proficient breast cancers, in contrast with mismatch repair-deficient colorectal and endometrial cancers, which frequently have increased mucin protein expression when compared with their mismatch repair-proficient counterparts. In addition, ectopic CDX2 expression is positively associated with de novo MUC2 expression.

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Human cancers overexpress genes that are specific to a variety of normal human tissues.

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