Gene expression of Epithelial Membrane Protein 2 gene and β1-Integrin gene in patients with breast cancer

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common invasive cancer and the leading cause of cancer death in women. The function of over a thousand genes is reported as affected by genetic modifications in breast cancer. OBJECTIVES: To study the gene expression of Epithelial Membrane 2 (EMP2) and β1-Integrin genes in patients with breast cancer. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This study was carried out by cooperation between the Biochemistry Division Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University. This study included 120 subjects divided into 2 groups Group I: Included 60 women with breast cancer undergoing modified radical mastectomy. Tissue specimens were taken from the cancerous breast tissue and from the marginal healthy breast tissues. Group II: Included 60 age and sex-matched apparently healthy women served as a control group. All patients participants were subjected to full history taking, general clinical examination, abdominal ultrasound, CT-scan for abdomen, mammography, fine needle biopsy, histopathological examination, immunostaining of tissues, metastatic work up (chest x-ray and bone scan) and laboratory investigations including: Complete blood count (patients and controls), serum carbohydrate antigen 15–3 (patients and controls), detection of EMP2 and β1-Integrin genes expression in the tissue samples by formation of cDNA by reverse transcription PCR after RNA extraction and real-time PCR using SYBR Green technique. RESULTS: Compared to healthy tissues, the breast cancer tissues had significant higher EMP2 and β1-Integringene expression levels. Also, there was a significant increase in CA15-3 in patients group as compared with the control group. It was found that EMP2 and β1-Integrin expression in malignant tissue samples correlates with advanced and metastatic disease. CONCLUSION: The gene expression of EMP2 and β1-Integrin are important markers for the severity of breast cancer and they are good indicators of its prognosis.