ST6Gal1, Cox-2 and HB-EGF mRNA Expression in Breast Cancer Samples from Kashan, Iran

Background: ST6Gal1, Cox-2 and HB-EGF genes are involved in different tumors and their enhanced expressions often correlate with poor prognosis. In this study we assay the expressions of these genes by reverse transcriptase-PCR in 54 breast cancer samples. Methods: Tissue samples were either formalin-fixed for histopathological examination or frozen for reverse transcriptase-PCR. Image program was used for the densitometry of the image of the gels and the expression of different genes was normalized with beta actin expression. The student's t-test and correlation matrix were used for data analyses. Results: We observed significantly higher expressions of ST6Gal1 (P=0.040), Cox2 (P=0.001) and HB-EGF (P=0.009) in the tumor region compared to the margin samples. A significant correlation was found between HB-EGF and Cox-2 expression (P=0.001). There was a positive correlation between total score, tumor size, histology grade and nuclear grade but there was a reverse correlation between age and tumor size, histology grade and total score. Conclusion: Expressions of ST6Gal1, Cox-2 and HB-EGF in breast tumor samples in this and a number of other studies emphasize their role as important markers in breast cancer. The use of medications to inhibit either their individual expressions or the possible inhibition of all three genes may improve patient survival and prevent metastasis.