Down-regulated expression of Notch signaling molecules in human endometrial cancer

• Published in: Medical oncology (Northwood, London, England) Vol. 30; no. 1; p. 438
• Main Authors: Jonusiene, Violeta, Sasnauskiene, Ausra, Lachej, Nadezda, Kanopiene, Daiva, Dabkeviciene, Daiva, Sasnauskiene, Sofija, Kazbariene, Birute, Didziapetriene, Janina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01-03-2013; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adenocarcinoma - metabolism; Adenocarcinoma - pathology; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biomarkers, Tumor - analysis; Down-Regulation; Endometrial Neoplasms - metabolism; Endometrial Neoplasms - pathology; Female; Hematology; Humans; Internal Medicine; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Staging; Oncology; Original Paper; Pathology; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Receptors, Notch - metabolism; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Signal Transduction - physiology; Endometrial cancer; Notch signaling; Tumor suppressor
• ISSN: 1357-0560; 1559-131X
• DOI: 10.1007/s12032-012-0438-y

Notch signaling pathway is a highly conserved developmental pathway, which plays an important role in the regulation of cellular proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. Deregulation of Notch pathway has been connected with the carcinogenesis in a variety of cancers. In this study, we investigated the expression of Notch receptors (
NOTCH1
,
NOTCH2
,
NOTCH3
and
NOTCH4
), ligands (
JAG1
,
JAG2
and
DLL1
) and target gene
HES1
. Fifty paired samples of endometrial cancer and adjacent nontumor endometrial tissue from endometrial cancer patients were analyzed by quantitative PCR. The mRNA levels of all investigated molecules were lower in endometrial cancer compared to adjacent nontumor tissue. The expression of
NOTCH1
,
NOTCH4
and
DLL1
in IB stage adenocarcinoma was significantly lower (
P
 < 0.05) than the expression in IA stage adenocarcinoma. Significant correlations were found between mRNA expression levels of Notch target gene
HES1
and several Notch signaling molecules:
NOTCH1
,
NOTCH3
,
DLL1
(
P
 < 0.001) and
NOTCH2
,
JAG2
(
P
 < 0.05). This supports the notion that Notch pathway can function as tumor suppressor in human endometrial cancer.