Relationship Between Expressions Of Syk Gene In Human Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Tissues And Clinicopathological Features Of These Patients

Objective In recent years, a number of studies showed that the reduction and silence of spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) expression may be related to production and metastasis of a variety of tumors. So far, no report of Syk expression in esophageal carcinoma has been found. To evaluate the possibility of using Syk as a molecular marker and molecular therapeutic target to prevent and treat esophageal cancer, we investigted Syk and p53 protein and mRNA expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma specimens and its matched-adjacent non-tumor specimens and assess clinicopathological features of these patients in this study.Methods The expression of Syk and p53 protein in tumor specimens and matched-adjacent non-tumor specimens of 48 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma were assayed by fast immunohistochemistry method. The expression of Syk and p53 mRNA in tumor specimens and matched adjacent non-tumor specimens of 43 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma were assayed by RT-PCR method, and the correlations with tumor sizes, TNM stages and lymph node metastasis situation in these patients is analysized.Results 1. The positive rates of protein expression of Syk genes in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma specimens were significant lower than that in adjacent non-tumor specimens(χ2 = 51.24, P < 0.05); 2. The positive rates of protein expression of p53 genes in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma specimens were significant higher than that in adjacent non-tumor specimens(χ2 = 45.78, P < 0.05); 3. Correlation analysis showed that protein expression of Syk and p53 genes (mutant) were negatively correlated(rs = -0.604, P < 0.05); 4. The protein expression of Syk gene was related to tumor TNM stages (χ2 = 6.713,P < 0.05)and lymph node metastasis situation(χ2 = 14.14,P < 0.05), and was not related to tumor sizes(χ2 = 0.017, P﹥0.05);5. The expression of Syk mRNA in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma specimens were significant lower than that in adjacent non-tumor specimens(t = -11.27, P < 0.05);6. The expression of p53 mRNA in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma specimens were significant higher than that in adjacent non-tumor specimens(t = 12.09, P < 0.05);7. There was a negative correlation trend (r =- 0.038, P > 0.05) between the expression of Syk mRNA and p53 mRNA in these specimens.Conclusions 1. The reduction and silence of Syk expression are frequent molecular events in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, which can be observed both in transcriptional and protein levels; 2. The reduction and silence of Syk expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma may be associated with its malignant metastatic potential; 3. Syk gene may plays a tumor suppress gene role in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma genesis, which may be p53 (wild type) gene dependent;4. The positive rate of p53 protein expression and expression of p53 mRNA in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma specimens was significantly higher than that in adjacent non-tumor specimens, support that p53 gene mutation related to the esophageal squamous cell carcinoma occurrence;5. Syk may be used as a molecular marker in early diagnosis of esophageal cancer and a molecular therapeutic target to prevent and heal esophageal cancer in future.