Expression of β-arrestin 1 in Gastric Cardiac Adenocarcinoma and its Relation with Progression

OBJECTIVE: Arrestins act as mediators of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) desensitization and trafficking, also actin as a scaffold for many intracellular signaling network. The role that β-arrestin 1 plays in gastric cardiac adenocarcinoma (GCA) and its clinicopathologic significance are untouched. METHODS: Fifty patients with gastric cardiac adenocarcinoma were retrospectively enrolled and β-arrestin 1 was detected using immunohistochemistry in tissue samples. RESULTS: Nuclear expression of β-arrestin 1 was observed in 78% of GCA samples (39/50) and cytoplasmic expression in 70% (35/50). β-arrestin 1 could be found in both nucleus and cytoplasm of 54% GCA (27/50) or in either of them in 94% (47/50). β-arrestin 1 protein positivity in well/ moderately differentiated carcinomas was significantly higher than that in poorly differentiated carcinomas (P=0.005). We found increased expression of β-arrestin 1 in cytoplasm was correlated with lymph nodal metastasis (P=0.002) and pathological lymph nodal staging (P=0.030). We also found β-arrestin 1 to be over-expressed in glandular epithelia cells of mucinous adenocarcinoma, a tumour type associated with an adverse outcome of gastric cardiac adenocarcinoma (P=0.022). CONCLUSION: β-arrestin 1 is over-expressed in the nucleus and/or cytoplasm of gastric cardiac adenocarcinoma. However, β-arrestin 1 has no relationship with the prognosis of gastric cardiac adenocarcinoma (P>0.05). Our data imply that β-arrestin 1 in cytoplasm may be involved in differentiation and metastasis of gastric cardiac adenocarcinoma.