Hypothesis: The signal alterations mediated by small G proteins such as Ras, Rho, and Rac have been reported in several cancers. The human G protein gamma 7 (G-gamma 7) gene, which is down-regulated in various digestive organ cancers, was recently identified and cloned. Thus, the G-gamma 7-coupled heterotrimeric G proteins may also contribute to carcinogenesis in human cancers.
Setting: University hospital and medical institute of bioregulation.
Patients and methods: The clinicopathological significance of G-gamma 7 expression in 18 patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (IHCC) was examined. The tumor-nontumor ratio of G-gamma 7 expression was determined using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis. To visualize the localization of G-gamma 7, an immunohistochemical study was performed.
Main outcome measure: Clinicopathological significance of G-gamma 7 expression in human IHCC.
Results: Expression of G-gamma 7 messenger RNA was lower in tumor tissue than in the corresponding nontumor tissue in 17 (94%) of 18 patients with IHCC. The mean tumor-nontumor ratio was 0.54. Eleven patients with tumor-nontumor ratios less than 0.5 showed significantly poorer differentiated IHCC than 7 with tumor-nontumor ratios of 0.5 and greater (P<.01). Decreased expression of G-gamma 7 protein in the carcinoma tissue, especially in the poorly differentiated IHCC tissue, was confirmed using immunohistochemical staining.
Conclusions: Reduced expression of G-gamma 7 is associated with the histological grade of IHCC and may therefore prove to be a useful marker for predicting the biological aggressiveness of human IHCC.