Transcriptional gene expression profiles of oesophageal adenocarcinoma and normal oesophageal tissues.

The molecular events associated with the development of adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus are not well understood. Gene expression associated with oesophageal adenocarcinoma was investigated using a cDNA array containing 1,176 human cancer-associated genes. Approximately 59% of the genes were expressed at detectable levels with 15 genes (1.3%) exhibiting differential (> 2.5-fold) expression in either normal oesophagus or adenocarcinoma tissue. Nine genes were up-regulated in oesophageal adenocarcinoma tissue (matrix metalloproteinase 11 (MMP11), ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), cytokeratins 8 and 18, integrin alpha 3 (ITGA3), integrin alpha 6 (ITGA6), BIGH3 (transforming growth factor beta-induced), beta-catenin and CDC25B (M-phase inducer phosphatase 2)). Six genes were down-regulated in adenocarcinoma tissue (cytokeratin 4, plasminogen activator inhibitor 2 (PAI-2), interleukin 1 receptor antagonist (IRAP), cytokeratin 13/15/17, MAD and retinoic acid receptor gamma 1 (RARG)). Many of these differentially expressed genes influence cell-cell adhesion, cell-extracellular matrix and composition, transcriptional activation and cell cycle progression and are likely to contribute to development of oesophageal adenocarcinoma.