Pitx1作为候选抑癌基因因其参与抑制Ras信号传导通路激活而受关注。PITX1蛋白在多种肿瘤中表现为低表达模式，提示其参与肿瘤的发生发展。我们及其他研究者研究均发现胃癌组织中Pitx1基因的低表达模式。我们近期研究亦发现Pitx1基因导入致胃癌细胞周期阻滞及细胞凋亡，明显抑制了细胞增殖能力。这些结果提示Pitx1基因在胃癌抑瘤治疗上具有应用潜力。本研究将在前期研究基础上，从细胞模型到动物模型深入探讨Pitx1基因对胃癌的抑瘤作用及效果，并分析PITX1作用所涉及的信号传导通路；应用ChIP、ChIP-PCR-Seq.、酵母双杂交等方法，揭示PITX1作为转录因子对肿瘤相关基因的表达调控，并初步探讨Pitx1基因表达的表观遗传调控机制。PITX1在胃癌发生中涉及的信号传导通路及调控方式的深入探讨，将为阐明其抑癌作用途径及其调控机制提供新的依据，为胃癌的发病机制阐明和治疗提供一个新的观点。

Pitx1 is specially concerned in inhibiting Ras signaling transduction pathway activation as a candidate tumor suppressor gene. Down-regulation expression of PITX1 in multiple cancers implys that PITX1 may participate in tumor carcinogenesis. Other groups and ours found that PITX1 expression is also reduced in gastric cancer. Our study presented over-expression of PITX1 could inhibit the gastric cell lines' growth markedly via blocking the cell cycle and promoting cell apoptosis. These results demonstrates the application prospect of PITX1 in clinical therapeutics. We will employ ChIP, ChIP-PCR-Seq and yeast two-hybrid to lucubrate the regulation network comprising PITX1 as a transcription factor and downstream molecules as well as their epigenetic mechanism from gastric cells to animal models based on our previous work. The further study of the regulation and signaling transduction pathway PITX1 takes part in gastric carcinogenesis will provide a novel theoretical basis for gastric cancer inhibition and treatment.