The expression of c-src gene in the carcinogenesis process of human cardia adenocarcinoma.

AIM:To investigate the activation, expression of c-src gene and its role in the carcinogenetic process of human cardia adenocarcinoma (CA).

METHODS

Fifty six cases of CA, 34 cases of normal, 36 cases of protiferative epithelia adjacent to carcinoma, and 20 cases of lymph node metastases of CA were studied for PP60(c-src),the expression product of c-src gene immunohistochemically by using the specific monoclonal antibody,Mab327.

RESULTS

The positive rates of PP60(c-src) in the normal epithelia,protiferative epithelia, CA and lymph node metastases were 29.4% (10/34), 94.4% (34/36), 71.4% (40/56) and 60.0%(12/20), respectively, among them, the differences of the positive rates were statistically significant (P < 0.01). The expression levels of PP60(c-src) in CA and proli ferative epithelia were significantly higher than that in the normal epithelia(P< 0.01).The PP60(c-src) positive rates in the papillary, tubular, poorly different-tiated and mucous adenocarcinoma were 75.0% (6/8), 81.8% (18/22), 50.0% (10/20) and 100.0% (6/6), respectively, whereas those of tubular and mucous adenocarcinomas were significantly higher than those of papillary and poorly differentiated adenocar-cinomas (P < 0.05), and the PP60(c-src) expression levels of tubular and mucous adenocarcinomas were also significantly higher than those of papillary and poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas (P< 0.01).

CONCLUSION

The activation and expression of c-src gene are associated with the initiation and development of human CA; the protein amount of PP60(c-src)increased during the process of carcinogenesis; and PP60(c-src) expression is also related to lymph node metastases.