Expression of granulocyte colony stimulating factor receptor in human colorectal cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To discover if human colorectal cancer expresses granulocyte colony stimulating factor receptor (G-CSFR) and if granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) plays an important part in the development and progression of human colorectal cancer.


METHODS
Forty two specimens of colorectal cancer and normal colorectal mucosa were investigated, taken from the colon or rectum in group of colorectal cancer patients. Immunohistochemistry and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique were used to show G-CSFR expression. The relation between expression of G-CSFR and clinical or pathological factors was analysed.


RESULTS
Immucohistochemical analyses showed that G-CSFR was expressed in the human colorectal cancer (25 of 42, 59.52%) and seemed to be up-regulated compared with the normal mucosa (14 of 42, 33.33%, p<0.001). In pronounced contrast with mostly strongly positive tumours, corresponding normal colorectal mucosa was negative or weakly positive. A significant correlation was found between G-CSFR expression and tumour stage (p = 0.001), tumour differentiation (p<0.001), but there was no significant relation between the expression of G-CSFR and the age, sex, and tumour size (p = 0.346, p = 0.686, p = 0.459). In RT-PCR, 21 of all 42 tumours had G-CSFR mRNA expression, while only 11 of 42 normal colorectal mucosa had such expression.


CONCLUSIONS
These data show that G-CSFR is commonly expressed in human colorectal cancers, thus supporting a possible role for G-CSF in colorectal cancer physiology.
Yang
X
X
Medical College, Nanjing University, Jingsu, China. yangxd96@hotmail.com
Liu
F
F
Xu
Z
Z
Chen
C
C
Wu
X
X
Li
G
G
Li
J
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D016188:Receptors, Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D016188:Receptors, Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor