Clinical significance of TRIM29 expression in patients with gastric cancer

AIM: The present study aimed to evaluate the expression profile, prognostic value, and possible correlation of TRIM29 with β-catenin, Cyclin D, and Bcl2 in Iranian patients with GC. BACKGROUND: Tripartite Motif Containing 29 (TRIM29) has been reported to function as an oncogene or a tumor suppressor depending on the tumor type. This contextual function has created a controversial situation that needs to be fully delineated in various cancers. Although few studies have reported an elevated TRIM29 expression in gastric cancer (GC), its clinicopathological and prognostic values as well as possible molecular mechanisms are yet to be re-evaluated in different populations. METHODS: Real-time quantitative PCR was used to detect TRIM29, β-catenin, Cyclin D, and Bcl-2 expression in 40 GC and their adjacent normal tissues. Patients were further stratified into high and low expression subgroups based on their TRIM29 expression levels. The association of TRIM29 expression level with β-catenin, Cyclin D, BCL2, some clinicopathological features, and patients' overall survival (OS) was assessed using appropriate statistical analyses. RESULTS: The results showed a significantly higher TRIM29 expression level in GC tissues compared with their corresponding normal tissues (fold change=2.94, p=0.003). Patients with high TRIM29 expression levels exhibited poorer OS (HR=1.25, 95% CI: 1.06-1.47, p=0.007). High expression of TRIM29 was also associated with increased levels of β-catenin, Cyclin D, and Bcl-2 genes expression. CONCLUSION: Overexpression of TRIM29 is associated with poor prognosis in patients with GC and is probably mediated through β-catenin/Cyclin D/Bcl2 pathway and can be considered as a potential independent prognostic marker.