RESEARCH ARTICLE LAPTM4B-35, a Cancer-Related Gene, Is Associated with Poor Prognosis in TNM Stages I-III Gastric Cancer Patients

Background Lysosome-associated transmembrane protein 4β-35 (LAPTM4B-35), a member of the mammalian 4-tetratransmembrane spanning protein superfamily, has been reported to be overexpressed in several cancers. However the expression of LAPTM4B-35 and its role in the progression of gastric cancer (GC) remains unknown. The aim of this study was to in-vestigate LAPTM4B-35 expression in GC, its potential relevance to clinicopathologic pa-rameters and role of LAPTM4B-35 during gastric carcinogenesis. Methods In the present study, paraffin-embedded specimens with GC (n = 240, including 180 paired specimens) and 24 paired fresh frozen tissues were analyzed. qRT-PCR and immunohis-tochemistry (IHC) were used to analyze the expression of LAPTM4B-35 in GC. The effects of LAPTM4B-35 on GC cell proliferation, migration and invasion were determined by over-expression and knockdown assays. Result