Upregulation of SLC11A2 in gastric cancer patients with Helicobacter pylori infection

H. pylori infection has a strong association with prevalence of iron deficiency and gastric cancer (GC). Cancer cells reprogram the iron metabolism in order to provide required iron. H. pylori is also need iron for its own growth and reproduction. SLC11A2 encodes a member of the solute carrier family 11 protein family which involved in transportation of divalent metals and iron absorption. We evaluated the relative expression of SLC11A2 in patients with GC and its relation to H. pylori infection and pathological characteristics of tumor.

Forty-five patients with GC were involved in this research of whom 24 patients have been infected with H. pylori. Relative expression of SLC11A2 gene was estimated by quantitative real-time PCR. The relationship of SLC11A2 expression change with Pathological characteristics such as size and grade of tumor cells, lympho-vascular and perineural invasion and clinical stage of disease were evaluated in both infected and uninfected patients.

SLC11A2 relative expression was significantly higher (P =0.026) in GC patients infected with H. pylori (11.33 ± 5.22) in comparison to those without infection (2.56 ± 0.65). Although it was not statistically significant, the expression of SLC11A2 in all participants was higher at higher stages (III &IV) of disease (9.84 ± 4.35) in comparison to those with lower stages (2.54 ± 0.75). However, among the patients infected with H. pylori, SLC11A2 expression was significantly (P= 0.027) upregulated in the higher stages of disease (16 ± 7.6) compare to the lower stages (1.8 ± 1.06).

SLC11A2 is probably a target gene for H. pylori in order to supply its need to iron. The relative expression changes of SLC11A2 in GC patients were associated with the infection of H. pylori, and pattern of its association with the prognosis of the disease changes in the presence and absence of infection with H. pylori.