Studies On Expression And Significance Of Wnt Family Proteins In Gastric Carcinoma Using Tissue Microarray

Objective : To study the expression of wnt family proteins in different stages of gastric carcinoma,paracancerous tissue and normal gastric mucous membrane, to explore the relationship between Wnt signal pathway and tumorigenesis and the progression of gastric carcinoma.Methods: Tissue microarray and immunohistochemistry were used in this study to detect the expression of wnt family proteins.Results: Besides wnt-4 protein, the positive expression rate of the other five wnt family proteins we detected in gastric carcinoma were obviously higher than that of normal gastric mucous membrane(P<0.01). The expressional intensity of all the six wnt family proteins in gastric carcinoma were obviously stronger than that of normal gastric mucous membrane(P<0.01). The positive rate of wnt-2b,wnt-6 and wnt-7b proteins expression in gastric carcinoma were obviously higher than that of paracancerous tissue(P<0.01), and the expressional intensity in gastric carcinoma were also obviously stronger(P<0.01). Meanwhile, the positive rate of wnt-4,wnt-7a and wnt-9a proteins expression in paracancerous tissue were obviously higher than that of normal gastric mucous membrane(P<0.01). Besides wnt-2b protein, the expressional intensity of the other five wnt family proteins we detected in paracancerous tissue were stronger than that of normal gastric mucous membrane(P<0.05). Therefore, the positive rate and expressional intensity of wnt-6 and wnt-7b proteins both showed a gradually increasing tendency in normal gastric mucous membrane, paracancerous tissue and gastric carcinoma. However, the positive rate and expressional intensity of all the six wnt family proteins we detected had no significant difference in different stages of gastric carcinoma(P>0.05).In addition , the positive rate of wnt-2b protein expression in gastric carcinoma with lymph nodes metastasis was higher than that of those without lymph node metastasis(P<0.05).The expressional intensity of both wnt-2b and wnt-6 proteins in gastric carcinoma with lymph nodes metastasis were stronger than that of those without lymph node metastasis(P<0.05).Conclusions: Wnt-6 and wnt-7b proteins may play an important role in tumorigenesis of gastric carcinoma. And wnt-2b protein may be related with the process of lymph node metastasis in gastric carcinoma. Therefore, Wnt signal pathway may be related with tumorigenesis and the progression of gastric carcinoma.