Affiliations: [a] Ningbo Yinzhou People's Hospital and the Affiliated Yinzhou Hospital, Ningbo University School of Medicine, Ningbo 315040, Zhejiang, China | [b] Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, Ningbo University School of Medicine, Ningbo 315211, Zhejiang, China
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Junming Guo, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, Ningbo University School of Medicine, Ningbo 315211, Zhejiang, China. Tel.: +86 574 87600756; Fax: +86 574 87608638; E-mail:guojunming@nbu.edu.cn
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play roles in
carcinogenesis; however, the significance of most lncRNAs in gastric cancer
is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To explore the diagnostic value of the long noncoding
RNA RP11-19P22.6-001 in gastric cancer. METHODS: RP11-19P22.6-001 levels in gastric cancer tissues and
paired non-tumor tissues were analyzed by quantitative reverse
transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Since RP11-19P22.6-001 acts in cis
to regulate nitric oxide synthase 2 (NOS2), we also analyzed NOS2 expression
and its correlation with gastric cancer. Finally, to analyze the potential
diagnostic values of RP11-19P22.6-001, a receiver operating characteristic
(ROC) curve was constructed. RESULTS: RP11-19P22.6-001 expression was significantly
downregulated in 70.91% (78/110) of gastric cancer tissues compared to
that of adjacent normal tissues. However, NOS2 was upregulated in 75.45%
(83/110) of gastric cancer tissues. RP11-19P22.6-001 expression levels were
associated with invasion, lymph node metastasis, and TNM stage. The areas
under the ROC curves (AUC) were 0.662 and 0.671 for RP11-19P22.6-001 and
NOS2, respectively. More importantly, the combined use of these parameters
increased the AUC to 0.704. CONCLUSIONS: RP11-19P22.6-001 and NOS2 may be new biomarkers for
the diagnosis and prognosis of gastric cancer. The combined use of lncRNAs
and their target genes may be a promising method to increase the diagnostic
value of lncRNAs in cancer.
