MSI1 overexpression in diffuse type of gastric cancer

Being the third most frequent cause of cancer mortality in the world, gastric cancer is the major cause of cancer-related mortality in Iran. Musashi1 recognizes a motif in the 3′UTR of target mRNAs – involved in cell cycle regulation, proliferation and apoptosis – and represses the translation of the mRNAs. As tissue stem cells exist in many adult tissues other than the CNS, Musashi is considered to be associated with many malignancies. In the current study, we aimed to assess Musashi1 gene expression in human stomach cancer. In total, 30 paired gastric tumoral and adjacent non-tumoral tissue specimens were examined for gene expression by qReal-Time RT-PCR. Our results demonstrated that the expression of the gene did not significantly change between tumor/non-tumor tissues (p value: 16 × 10−2) and different grades (p value: 36 × 10−2). However, there was a statistical difference between the MSI1 gene expression in different tumor types, i.e., intestinal versus diffuse type (p value: 3 × 10−2). All together, further investigations should be done to elucidate the precise molecular mechanisms by which MSI1 contribute to the pathogenesis of gastric cancer.