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World J Gastroenterol. Dec 14, 2013; 19(46): 8714-8721
Published online Dec 14, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i46.8714
Published online Dec 14, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i46.8714
Intestinal stem cell marker LGR5 expression during gastric carcinogenesis
Zhi-Xue Zheng, Zhao-De Bu, Lian-Hai Zhang, Zi-Yu Li, Ai-Wen Wu, Xiao-Jiang Wu, Jia-Fu Ji, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Peking University Cancer Hospital and Institute, Beijing 100142, China
Yu Sun, Department of Pathology, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Peking University Cancer Hospital and Institute, Beijing 100142, China
Xiao-Hong Wang, Xiao-Jing Cheng, Xiao-Fang Xing, Clinical Gastric Cancer Research Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Peking University Cancer Hospital and Institute, Beijing 100142, China
Hong Du, Tissue Bank, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Peking University Cancer Hospital and Institute, Beijing 100142, China
Author contributions: Zheng ZX and Sun Y contributed equally to this work and should be considered co-first authors; Zheng ZX, Sun Y and Bu ZD designed the study and performed the research; Zhang LH, Li ZY, Wu AW, Wu XJ, Wang XH, Cheng XJ, Xing XF and Du H contributed new reagents or analytic tools; Zheng ZX and Bu ZD analyzed the data; Zheng ZX and Sun Y wrote the manuscript; Ji JF supervised the experimental design and revised the manuscript for intellectual content.
Supported by A grant from the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission’s NOVA Program, No. 2009BG-02; Beijing Municipal Health System Special funds of High-Level Medical Personnel Construction, No. 2013-3-082
Correspondence to: Dr. Jia-Fu Ji, MD, FACS, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Peking University Cancer Hospital and Institute, Fu Cheng Road 52, Hai Dian District, Beijing 100142, China. jiafuj@gmail.com
Telephone: +86-10-88196698 Fax: +86-10-88196698
Received: August 6, 2013
Revised: September 25, 2013
Accepted: November 3, 2013
Published online: December 14, 2013
Revised: September 25, 2013
Accepted: November 3, 2013
Published online: December 14, 2013
Core Tip
Core tip: This is the first study to evaluate the expression of leucine-rich repeat-containing G protein-coupled receptor 5 (LGR5), a putative cancer stem cell marker, in progressive stages of gastric carcinogenesis. The observation of increasing LGR5 expression in human gastric cancer lesions, following the loss of differentiation (from dysplastic to gastric cancer cases) and risk of spread (metastatic cases), suggests that this receptor may represent an important biomarker for early detection of patients at higher risk for gastric tumorigenesis. The observed distinctive expression pattern of LGR5 in intestinal metaplasia suggests that these cells may represent a precancerous condition but not carcinoma precursors.