2. Academic Validation
  3. MerTK is a novel therapeutic target in gastric cancer

MerTK is a novel therapeutic target in gastric cancer

  • Oncotarget. 2015 Apr 20;8(57):96656-96667. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.3750.
Jun Ho Yi 1 2,  Jiryeon Jang 1,  Jeonghee Cho 3,  In-Gu Do 4,  Mineui Hong 5,  Seung Tae Kim 1,  Kyoung-Mee Kim 5,  Sujin Lee 1,  Se Hoon Park 1,  Joon Oh Park 1 5,  Young Suk Park 1,  Won Ki Kang 1,  Ho Yeong Lim 1,  Jeeyun Lee 1
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
  • 2 Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Hanyang University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
  • 3 Samsung Genome Institute, Seoul, Korea.
  • 4 Department of Pathology, Kangbuk Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
  • 5 Department of Pathology and Translational Genomics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
PMID: 29228560 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.3750
Abstract

Introduction: The role of MerTK has not been assessed in gastric Cancer (GC). The aim of this study was to identify a subgroup of GC patients with MerTK tumor overexpression, and to evaluate MerTK as a potential therapeutic target in this disease.

Methods: Protein and mRNA expression of MerTK were evaluated, and Other various in vitro analyses including shRNA transfection, cell cycle anslysis, MTS assay and colony forming assay were carried out with GC cell lines and GC patient-derived cells (PDCs).

Results: shRNA-mediated knockdown of MerTK resulted in inhibition of cell growth, as well as increased cellular Apoptosis in MerTK positive GC cells. Out of 192 GC patients, 16 (8.3%) patients showed strong protein expression and they had a significantly shorter overall survival compared to those with no MerTK expression. In 54 cases of GC PDCs, 4 cases (7.4%) showed mRNA overexpression, which was comparable to the protein expression rate. When we administered UNC1062, a novel MerTK-selective small molecular tyrosine kinase inhibitor, proliferation of MerTK overexpressing GC cells and PDCs were considerably inhibited.

Conclusion: MerTK may be involved in GC carcinogenesis, and it could be a potential novel therapeutic target in GC patients.

Keywords

MerTK; gastric cancer; patient-derived cells.

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