Association of ECRG2 TCA short tandem repeat polymorphism with the risk of oesophageal cancer in a North Indian population

SPINKs in Tumors: Potential Therapeutic Targets

The serine protease inhibitor Kazal type (SPINK) family includes SPINK1-14 and is the largest branch in the serine protease inhibitor family. SPINKs play an important role in pancreatic physiology and disease, sperm maturation and capacitation, Nager syndrome, inflammation and the skin barrier. Evidence shows that the unregulated expression of SPINK1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 13 is closely related to human tumors. Different SPINKs exhibit various regulatory modes in different tumors and can be used as tumor prognostic markers. This article reviews the role of SPINK1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 13 in different human cancer processes and helps to identify new cancer treatment targets.

MicroRNA-1322 regulates ECRG2 allele specifically and acts as a potential biomarker in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

A short tandem repeat (STR) polymorphism in the 3'UTR region of esophageal cancer-related gene 2 (ECRG2, also known as SPINK7) has been widely reported to be associated with the incidence and the prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). This study explores how the microRNA binding to the STR region affects ECRG2 expression in ESCC. Dual-luciferase reporter assays were used to verify the effects of the four microRNAs (miR-580, miR-1182, miR-1272, and miR-1322) predicted to bind the STR region of the ECRG2 3' untranslated region (UTR). The expression of identified effective microRNA was then analyzed in 44 paired ESCC and adjacent normal tissues and 402 case-controlled serum samples (divided into a discovery group and an independent validation group) by real-time RT-PCR assay. We found that only miR-1322 could significantly down-regulate the ECRG2 with TCA3 allele (P < 0.01), but it could not down-regulate the ECRG2 with TCA4 allele significantly (P > 0.05). MiR-1322 was also expressed significantly higher in ESCC tissue and serum samples than in controls (both P < 0.01). Additionally, serum levels of miR-1322 yielded an under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve area of 0.847 (95% CI, 0.795-0.890) for discriminating ESCCs from healthy controls in the discovery group and a similar result was obtained in the validation group (under ROC area is 0.845; 95%CI, 0.780-0.897). We conclude that miR-1322 can regulate ECRG2 in an allele-specific manner and that serum levels of miR-1322 can serve as a potential diagnostic biomarker for patients with ESCC.

Northwestern China: a place to learn more on oesophageal cancer. Part two: gene alterations and polymorphisms

In the first part of this review, some behavioural and environmental risk factors playing important roles in the development of Kazakh's oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) were presented. Although all individuals have been exposed to the same environment and share the same behaviour, some of them will not develop OSCC. Thus, gene susceptibility and/or gene polymorphism are unavoidably involved. The molecular events underlying the initiation and progression of OSCC remain, however, poorly understood. In the second part of our review of OSCC in northwestern China, especially in the high-risk Kazakh population, some recent progress in the study of the molecular biology underlying oesophageal carcinogenesis, including chromosome deletions and loss of heterozygocity, polymorphisms of genes involved in xenobiotic metabolizing and DNA repair, and genetic alterations of transcriptional factors and apoptosis genes are presented. Results obtained in this high-risk population are compared with those obtained in other areas that are also known to be at high risk for OSCC, and whenever possible, with those studies performed in European, American or Australian low-risk areas. Recent advances in the investigation of the proteomics and microRNA biomarkers potentially useful for an earlier diagnosis and/or prognosis of OSCC are also discussed.