A Decrease of Histone Deacetylase 6 Expression Caused by Helicobacter Pylori Infection is Associated with Oncogenic Transformation in Gastric Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) plays a role in the progression of many tumors. However, the relationship between the level of HDAC6 expression and gastric tumorigenesis is still unclear. Here, we illustrate the potential correlation between Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection and the variation of HDAC6 expression in different gastric lesions, as well as the clinical significance of HDAC6 expression in gastric cancer (GC) patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 2011 and 2016, 364 patients with different types of gastric lesions were enrolled in Baotou City Central Hospital. Immunostaining of HDAC6 expression and HP infection were performed in the following cohort including 21 normal tissues (Normal); 40 samples with chronic superficial gastritis (CSG); 106 with chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG); 94 with intestinal metaplasia (IM); 64 with dysplasia (DYS) and 39 with gastric cancer (GC). Survival analysis was performed in another 80 GC patients using the Kaplan-Meier method and multivariate Cox regression analyses. The level of HDAC6 expression was determined by Real-time PCR, Western blotting and IHC staining in gastric cell lines and tissues. Furthermore, the correlation between HDAC6 expression and clinicopathological features and prognosis was analyzed in the GC cohort. HP strains were lavaged into Kunming mice to investigate the effects of HP infection on the expression of different HDAC members in this mouse model.

RESULTS: Higher levels of HDAC6 expression were detected in normal and premalignant lesions than in the GC tissues (p<0.01), and decreased HDAC6 expression was associated with HP infection and TNM stage (p<0.01 and p=0.048, respectively). Multivariate analysis revealed that HDAC6 expression was an independent predictor of the outcome of GC patients (p=0.04). HP mediated HDAC6 expression in the cell lines and KM mice. HP infection could promote HDAC1 and HDAC4 expression as determined by Western blotting.

CONCLUSIONS: HDAC6 is a promising biomarker for early diagnosis and prognosis during the oncogenic transformation of gastric cancer.