Malignant tumors are often associated with denervation, suggesting the functional implication of axonal guidance molecules in tumor growth. Here, we assessed the role of semaphorin 3C (sema3C) in the progression of gastric cancer. Immunohistochemistry of human samples revealed that sema3C was strongly expressed in neoplastic cells, especially at the invasion front. Stable transfection of target sequences of sema3C miRNA did not affect the in vitro proliferative activity of human gastric cancer AZ-521 cells. However, when the tumor growth was examined in vivo using an orthotopic model in nude mice, primary stomach tumors as well as metastatic liver tumors were significantly suppressed by sema3C silencing with the reduction of microvessel density. Immunostaining of primary tumor indicated the rate of Ki-67 positive carcinoma cells was decreased, whereas that of apoptotic cells was significantly increased in sema3C-silenced tumor. In addition, capillary-like tubular formation was reduced by the addition of culture media of sema3C miRNA cells compared with the media of control miRNA cells. Semaphorin 3C is positively expressed in gastric cancer cells and may be involved in tumor progression, presumably through the stimulation of angiogenesis.
© 2012 Japanese Cancer Association.