Research on the association between gastrointestinal cancer and cellular adhesion and polarity

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K16709
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 50010:Tumor biology-related
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Takahashi Yu 東京大学, 医学部附属病院, 助教 (80780543)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 消化器癌 / 胃癌 / 細胞接着因子

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Gastric cancer is known to have various histological types, but the regulatory mechanisms are not yet clear. It has been reported that the expression of cell adhesion factors is associated with histological types and prognosis of gastric cancer, and we identified a gene associated with NECTIN1 expression.
Gastric cancer is generally associated with a poor prognosis, but it is known that the prognosis is better if the cancer is treated in its early stages. It has been reported that a diagnostic method, so called "ABC method", based on a combination of serum H. pylori antibody and pepsinogen levels is useful for gastric cancer risk stratification. The ABC method was found to be sufficiently useful even in recent years when the rate of H. pylori infection has decreased.

Free Research Field

消化器内科

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

胃癌は大腸癌などに比較して多彩な組織型を取ることが知られているが、この組織型と細胞接着因子の一つであるNECTIN1という遺伝子の発現に関連があることを報告してきた。胃癌において細胞接着因子の発現と組織型や予後には関連があることが報告されているが、これらの制御機構については明らかになっていないところがあり、関連のある遺伝子を同定することによりこれらを明らかにすることに寄与すると考える。
また胃がんリスク層別化法であるABC法がピロリ感染者が減ってきた現在でも有用であることが分かり、胃がん検診におけるハイリスク群の同定に役立つことが期待される。