title: Protein expression of NF-kappaB in human colorectal adenocarcinoma.
abstract: NF-kappaB is a transcription factor believed to mediate a cellular survival response following the apoptotic stimulus TNF-alpha. To clarify the role of NF-kappaB in colorectal cancer, we investigated the relationship of NF-kappaB expression by immunohistochemistry with clinicopathological variables, and other factors including apoptotic index, bcl-2 expression, p53 and K-ras mutations in 138 colorectal adenocarcinomas. Eighty-seven (63%) tumours showed cytoplasmic and 51 (37%) nuclear NF-kappaB expression. Nuclear NF-kappaB was correlated with mucinous carcinomas (p=0.006) and was more apparent in the invasive margin of some tumours. A trend was seen between nuclear NF-kappaB expression and K-ras mutation (p=0.15). However, NF-kappaB was not correlated with gender, age, tumour location, Dukes' stage, survival, apoptotic index, bcl-2 expression and p53 mutations. Conclusively, NF-kappaB might be activated in more aggressive colorectal tumour cells, since both tumour cells in the invasive margin and the mucinous tumour cells could represent more aggressive tumour cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Institute of Biomedicine and Surgery, Linköping University, S-581 85 Linköping, Sweden. sofev@ibk.liu.se
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Evertsson
authors.forename: Xioa-Feng
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017209:Apoptosis; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D016158:Genes, p53; D011905:Genes, ras; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009154:Mutation; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016328:NF-kappa B; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2