Functional analysis of tight junction protein: claudins on the development and progression of gastric cancer

在日本，胃癌的发病率仍然很高，而且幽门螺杆菌感染参与了胃癌的发生发展。然而，在幽门螺杆菌感染者中，胃癌的发生率只有几个百分点。我们主要关注紧密连接蛋白作为与胃癌发生和恶性发展相关的因子。Claudin-3的表达下调与胃癌细胞的增殖潜能有关。此外，在胃癌的侵袭前沿，claudin-18的下调与增殖和侵袭潜能有关，这表明它们在胃癌的发展中起着关键作用。

The morbidity of gastric cancer is still high in Japan, and it is know that Helicobacter pylori infection is involved in the development of gastric cancer. However, the incidence of gastric cancer in Helicobacter pylori infected people is a couple of %. We focused on tight junction proteins as the factor related to the development of gastric cancer and the malignancy. Down-regulation of claudin-3 was associated with proliferative potential of gastric cancer cells. Furthermore, down-regulation of claudin-18 at the invasive front of gastric cancer was associated with the proliferative and invasivepotential, suggesting that they have pivotal roles in gastric cancer progression.