Title:Gene Profile Identifies Zinc Transporters Differentially Expressed in Normal Human Organs and Human Pancreatic Cancer
VOLUME: 13 ISSUE: 3
Author(s):J. Yang, Y. Zhang, X. Cui, W. Yao, X. Yu, P. Cen, S. E. Hodges, W. E. Fisher, F. C. Brunicardi, C. Chen, Q. Yao and M. Li
Affiliation:Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, Department of Integrative Biology & Pharmacology, the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, 6431 Fannin Street, MSE R266, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Keywords:Pancreatic cancer, profile, zinc transporter, ZIP4
Abstract:Deregulated expression of zinc transporters was linked to several cancers. However, the detailed
expression profile of all human zinc transporters in normal human organs and in human cancer, especially in
pancreatic cancer is not available. The objectives of this study are to investigate the complete expression
patterns of 14 ZIP and 10 ZnT transporters in a large number of normal human organs and in human
pancreatic cancer tissues and cell lines. We examined the expression patterns of ZIP and ZnT transporters in
22 different human organs and tissues, 11 pairs of clinical human pancreatic cancer specimens and
surrounding normal/benign tissues, as well as 10 established human pancreatic cancer cell lines plus normal
human pancreatic ductal epithelium (HPDE) cells, using real time RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. The
results indicate that human zinc transporters have tissue specific expression patterns, and may play different
roles in different organs or tissues. Almost all the ZIPs except for ZIP4, and most ZnTs were down-regulated in
human pancreatic cancer tissues compared to the surrounding benign tissues. The expression patterns of
individual ZIPs and ZnTs are similar among different pancreatic cancer lines. Those results and our previous
studies suggest that ZIP4 is the only zinc transporter that is significantly up-regulated in human pancreatic
cancer and might be the major zinc transporter that plays an important role in pancreatic cancer growth. ZIP4
might serve as a novel molecular target for pancreatic cancer diagnosis and therapy.
