Notch2 as a promising prognostic biomarker for oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Abstract

We aimed to examine Notch2 expression in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients and to evaluate its prognostic potential. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blot analysis were utilized to investigate the Notch2 expression status and prognostic value. Furtherly, CCK8 and clonogenic assays were conducted to determine if Notch2 inhibition by shRNA could lead to a decrease in the proliferation and survival of ESCC cells. A notably higher Notch2 expression level was found in ESCC tissues at the mRNA (P < 0.0001) and protein levels (IHC: P = 0.004; western blot: P = 0.021). Log-rank analysis demonstrated that Notch2 overexpression was significantly associated with worse overall survival (OS) (29.1% vs. 49.1%; P = 0.013) and progression-free survival (PFS) (15.3% vs. 34.4%; P = 0.006) rates in ESCC patients. The multivariate analysis revealed Notch2 as an independent prognostic factor for OS and PFS (P = 0.002 and 0.006, resp.). Besides, in vitro assays showed that OD450 values and colony formations were significantly reduced in Notch2-shRNA group (all P < 0.0001). In conclusion, these results show that Notch2 is up-regulated in ESCC tissues and could serve as a promising biomarker for identifying individuals with poor prognostic potential.

• Authors: Cong Wang, Qingbao Li, Fang Liu, Xuan Chen, Bowen Liu, Effat Un Nesa, Shanghui Guan, Lihui Han, Bingxu Tan, Nana Wang, Xintong Wang, Qingxu Song, Yibin Jia, Jianbo Wang, Ming Lu, Yufeng Cheng
• Journal: Scientific reports (Sci Rep) Vol. 6 Pg. 25722 (05 09 2016) ISSN: 2045-2322 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 27158037 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Biomarkers, Tumor
• NOTCH2 protein, human
• RNA, Messenger
• RNA, Small Interfering
• Receptor, Notch2

Topics

• Biomarkers, Tumor (metabolism)
• Carcinoma, Squamous Cell (genetics, metabolism, pathology)
• Cell Line, Tumor
• Cell Proliferation
• Cell Survival
• Esophageal Neoplasms (genetics, metabolism, pathology)
• Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
• Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
• Humans
• Kaplan-Meier Estimate
• Multivariate Analysis
• Prognosis
• RNA, Messenger (genetics, metabolism)
• RNA, Small Interfering (metabolism)
• Receptor, Notch2 (genetics, metabolism)