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

<div><p>Background</p><p>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 investigate LAPTM4B-35 expression in GC, its potential relevance to clinicopathologic parameters and role of LAPTM4B-35 during gastric carcinogenesis.</p><p>Methods</p><p>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 immunohistochemistry (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 overexpression and knockdown assays.</p><p>Results</p><p>IHC showed that LAPTM4B-35 was expressed in 68.3% (123/180) of GC tissues, while in 16.1% (29/180) of their paired adjacent noncancerous gastric tissues (<i>P</i> = 0.000). <i>LAPTM4B-35</i> mRNA levels in GC tissues were also significantly elevated when compared with their paired adjacent noncancerous tissues (<i>P</i> = 0.017). Overexpression of LAPTM4B-35 was significantly associated with degree of differentiation, depth of invasion, lymphovascular invasion and lymph node metastasis (<i>P</i><0.05). Kaplan-Meier survival curves revealed that patients with LAPTM4B-35 expression had a significant decrease in overall survival (OS) in stages I-III GC patients (<i>P</i> = 0.006). Multivariate analysis showed high expression of LAPTM4B-35 was an independent prognostic factor for OS in stage I-III GC patients (<i>P</i> = 0.025).</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>These findings indicate that LAPTM4B-35 overexpression may be related to GC progression and poor prognosis, and thus may serve as a new prediction marker of prognosis in GC patients.</p>