Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The abnormal expression of MTAP, a tumor suppressor gene, is found in a variety of tumor tissues. The aim of this study is to detect the expression of MTAP mRNA protein and the clinical significance for the therapy of non-small cell lung cancer tissue (NSCLC). METHODS: The expression of MTAP protein was detected by immunohistochemistry in 52 cases of NSCLC patients. The relative expression MTAP mRNA was detected by real-time quantitative PCR. RESULTS: The expression of MTAP protein in NSCLC tissue was significantly lower than that in paracarcinomous tissue and borderline lung tissue respectively (t=10.283, 10.940, P < 0.001). There was no significant difference among gender, age, smoking history, histology except differentiation (t=2.310, P=0.025). The MTAP mRNA relative expression in NSCLC tissue was significantly lower than that in paracarcinomous tissue (t=9.902, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Downregulation of MTAP protein and gene expression is correlated to the oncogenesis and progression of NSCLC.