title: Aberrant expression of krUppel-like factor 6 protein in colorectal cancers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether krUppel-like factor 6 (KLF6) plays an important role in the development and/or progression of colorectal cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 123 formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded colorectal cancer specimens were analyzed by immunohistochemistry using tissue microarray for the expression of KLF6 protein. The specimens were collected over a 3-year period in the laboratories at our large teaching hospital in Seoul, Republic of Korea. The correlation of KLF6 expression with clinicopathologic parameters was analyzed by chi2 test and Bartholomew test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Normal colonic epithelium showed weak to moderate expression of KLF6, whereas reduced KLF 6 expression or loss of KLF6 expression was seen in 45 (36.6%) of the 123 colorectal carcinoma specimens. Interestingly, aberrant expression of KLF6 was detected in 25 (43.1%) of 58 cases with metastasis to regional lymph node and in 31 (47.0%) of 66 tumors more than 5 cm in size. Statistically, loss of KLF6 expression was significantly associated with tumor size (P < 0.05). However, there was no significant correlation between KLF6 expression and Dukes'stage (Bartholomew test, P > 0.05), tumor location and lymph node metastasis (chi2 test, P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Loss of KLF6 expression may be a common and early event in colorectal carcinogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seocho-gu, Seoul 137-701, Korea.
authors.forename: Yong-Gu
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Byung-Jun
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Jae-Whie
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Su-Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Suk-Woo
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Nam
authors.forename: Sug-Hyung
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Nam-Jin
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.forename: Jung-Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Won-Sang
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D000075723:Kruppel-Like Factor 6; D051741:Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis
chemical_list: C105465:KLF6 protein, human; D000075723:Kruppel-Like Factor 6; D051741:Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins