Expression profile of mucins (MUC2, MUC5AC and MUC6) in Helicobacter pylori infected pre-neoplastic and neoplastic human gastric epithelium

doi:10.1186/1476-4598-5-10

Molecular Cancer
Volume 5

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Devaraj H

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Research

Expression profile of mucins (MUC2, MUC5AC and MUC6) in Helicobacter pylori infected pre-neoplastic and neoplastic human gastric epithelium

Subramani Durai Babu¹ , Venkataraman Jayanthi² , Niranjali Devaraj³ , Celso A Reis⁴ and Halagowder Devaraj¹

¹Unit of Biochemistry, Department of Zoology, University of Madras, Guindy, Chennai, India

²Department of Gastroenerology, Stanley Medical College and Hospital, Chennai, India

³Department of Biochemistry, University of Madras, Guindy Campus, Chennai, India

⁴IPATIMUP – Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, Portugal

author email corresponding author email

Molecular Cancer 2006, 5:10doi:10.1186/1476-4598-5-10


Published:	19 March 2006

Abstract

Background

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) causes gastritis and intestinal metaplasia (IM) that may evolve to gastric carcinoma. The objective of this study was to compare the profile of mucins in the progressive stages of H. pylori infected pre-neoplastic and neoplastic human gastric epithelium. We used a panel of monoclonal antibodies with well-defined specificities of MUC2, MUC5AC and MUC6 to characterize the expression pattern of mucins by immunohistochemistry.

Methods

RUT and ELISA were down for H. pylori confirmation. Human gastric biopsy sections were stained using immunohistochemistry with MUC2, MUC5AC and MUC6 antibodies.

Results

MUC5AC was expressed in the superficial epithelium and the upper part of the gastric pits. MUC6 expression was detected in the lower part of the gastric glands. MUC2 was expressed in intestinal metaplasia, mostly in goblet cells. The mucin expression profile in the progressive stages of H. pylori infected human gastric epithelium allows the identification of intestinal metaplasia, which is characterized by a decreased expression of the gastric mucins (MUC5AC and MUC6) and de novo expression of MUC2.

Conclusion

In conclusion, our results suggest that there is altered expression of MUC5AC and MUC6 together with the aberrant expression of MUC2 in intestinal metaplasia, during the process of gastric carcinogenesis. The present study indicates that the MUC2 mucin expression pattern is a reliable marker of intestinal metaplasia, which appears in the context of H. pylori infected individuals.