SE translocation gene but not zinc finger or X-linked factor is down-regulated in gastric cancer

AIM: The current study aimed to identify the expression levels of SE Translocation (SET), Zinc Finger, and X-Linked Factor (ZFX) in gastric cancer tissues and their corresponding adjacent non-cancerous tissues (ANCTs). BACKGROUND: SET has been first identified as a component of a fusion protein produced by chromosomal rearrangement in a patient with acute undifferentiated leukemia. Subsequently, multiple functions have been attributed to this gene in different disorders such as cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. The expression of SET is regulated by ZFX, a transcription factor which has a potential role in gastric cancer. METHODS: In this case-control study, we evaluated the expression of SET and ZFX in gastric cancer tissues (n=28) and their corresponding ANCTs (n=28) via quantitative real-time PCR. RESULTS: SET1 gene was down-regulated in tumoral tissues compared with ANCTs (expression ratio=0.25, P=0.015). However, the expression of ZFX was similar between tumoral tissues and ANCTs (expression ratio=0.97, P=0.945). We detected a significant association between the site of primary tumor and SET1 relative expression in tumoral tissues versus ANCTs, where this gene was down-regulated in all tumors originating from cardia. Based on the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, the diagnostic power of transcription levels of SET1 in gastric cancer was 0.68. Finally, we observed remarkable correlations between expression levels of SET1 and ZFX both in tumoral tissues (R(2)=0.38, P<0.05) and in ANCTs (R(2)=0.23, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Overall, our results imply the role of SET1 in gastric cancer and potentially functional associations between this gene and ZFX in gastric tissues.