Expression of Testin in human colorectal carcinoma and its clinical significance / 中国癌症杂志

ABSTRACT

Background and purpose: The Testin gene is a candidate tumor suppressor gene located at 7q31.2. Our purpose was to investigate the expression of Testin gene, and its possible relationship with the clinicopathological features of human colorectal carcinoma. Methods: Semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry methods were used to investigate the expression of Testin in 60 specimens of colorectal carcinomas and corresponding adjacent normal mucosal tissues. The correlations of Testin to clinicopathologic features of colorectal carcinoma were analyzed. Results: The mRNA level of Testin was down-regulated in colorectal carcinomas. The positive rate of Testin protein was significantly lower than the paracancerous mucosal normal tissues (P<0.01). The expression of Testin protein and mRNA was correlated with infiltration, differentiation, Dukes stage, T stage,lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis (P<0.05), but not with patients' gender, age, site of cancer (P>0.05). The expression of Testin protein was lower in the tissues which were deeper infiltrated, poorer differentiated, advanced in Dukes stage and T stage, or with lymph node or remote metastasis. The expression of Testin mRNA was positively associated with that of Testin protein(r=0.75,P<0.05). Conclusion: The expression level of Testin is significantly down-regulated in colorectal carcinomas, which may be associated with the degree of infiltration, differentiation and metastasis of colorectal carcinoma. It suggests that Testin may be a valuable marker for assessing the prognosis and metastasis of colorectal carcinoma.