Abstract: Objective To explore the expression of Wnt secret protein Wntless in gastric carcinoma and normal mucosa, and to analyze the clinical significance of Wntless expression. Methods Detected the expression of Wntless protein in gastric adenocarcinoma and normal gastric mucosa by immunohistochemistry. Results In 104 specimens of gastric cancer, the expression of Wntless in gastric adenocarcinoma was: 7.7% (8/104) cases were 0 or 1+, 36.5% (38/104) cases were 2+, and 55.8% (58/104) cases were 3+. While in normal mucosa, the expression of Wntless was: 71.2% (74/104) cases were 0 or 1+, 19.2% (20/104) cases were 2+, and 9.6% (10/104) cases were 3+. The expression of Wntless in gastric adenocarcinoma was significantly higher than that in normal gastric mucosa (P<0.001). The expression of Wntless protein was positively correlated with tumor differentiation (P<0.05), and was positively correlated with lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). Conclusion Wntless is highly expressed in gastric carcinomas and may have role in the oncogenesis. Wntless could be used as a new marker for progression and metastasis of gastric carcinoma.

Key words: Wnt, Wntless, gastric carcinoma, IHC