Lowered expression of galectin-2 is associated with lymph node metastasis in gastric cancer

Background Lymph node metastasis (LNM) is recognized as an important factor in the progression of tumor malignancy. It is required to discover molecular markers for the prediction of LNM in gastric cancers (GCs). Methods An isotope coded affinity tag (ICAT) method and mass spectrometry were used for the quantitative profiling of LNM-related proteins. Western blot analysis of the identified proteins and immunohistochemistry on a tissue microarray comprising 120 GC cases were performed for validation. Results We identified 151 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) with an abundance ratio greater than 1.5-fold. The proteins upregulated in LNM-negative GCs were largely populated with proteins related to cell death. Among the DEPs, galectin-2 was further tested because its expression level was significantly higher in LNM-negative GCs (~12-fold, p