title: HATH1 expression in mucinous cancers of the colorectum and related lesions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Mucinous cancers and signet ring carcinomas are distinct classes of colon cancers characterized by their production of copious quantities of intestinal goblet cell mucin, MUC2. Deletion of transcription factor HATH1 ablates the biogenesis of goblet cells in developing mouse intestine, and forced expression of HATH1 results in elevated expression of MUC2 in colon cancer cells. The aim of this study was to assess the possible role of HATH1 in the development of mucinous cancers and signet ring carcinomas.
  
  
  METHODS
  Immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy was used to examine HATH1 expression and subcellular distribution in normal colon and small intestine, mucinous cancers, signet ring carcinomas, and nonmucinous cancers and in precursor lesions, including hyperplastic polyps, serrated adenomas, tubular adenomas, and villous adenomas. We also analyzed the transactivation of MUC2 promoter/reporter constructs by a HATH1 expression vector.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HATH1 expression transactivated MUC2 promoter/reporter constructs, an activity that was significantly inhibited by mutation of putative HATH1-binding sites. HATH1 was expressed in the nuclei of goblet cells and in the cytoplasm and nuclei of enteroendocrine cells of the colon. In the small intestine, only cytoplasmic expression of HATH1 in enteroendocrine cells was detected. HATH1 was found to be strongly expressed in the nuclei of hyperplastic polyps, serrated adenomas, villous adenomas, mucinous cancers, and signet ring carcinomas but repressed in nonmucinous cancers and tubular adenomas.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study confirms the importance of HATH1 for the development of intestinal secretory cells. The results further suggest that HATH1 is an important factor in the up-regulation of MUC2 expression that occurs in mucinous cancers and signet ring carcinomas. In addition, the expression of HATH1 in hyperplastic polyps, serrated adenomas, and villous adenomas lends support to the hypothesis that these neoplasms are frequent precursors in mucinous cancer and signet ring carcinoma development.
authors.affiliation: Gastrointestinal Research Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94121, USA.
authors.forename: Eun Taek
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Hee Kyung
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: James R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Gum
authors.forename: Suzanne C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Crawley
authors.forename: Sanjay
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kakar
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Engel
authors.forename: Ching Ching
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Leow
authors.forename: Wei-Qiang
authors.initials: WQ
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Young S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D002288:Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007417:Intestinal Polyps / Q000473:pathology; D007422:Intestines / Q000166:cytology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008297:Male; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008875:Middle Aged; D055262:Mucin-2; D009077:Mucins / Q000378:metabolism; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D015533:Transcriptional Activation
chemical_list: D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D055262:Mucin-2; D009077:Mucins; C500942:ATOH1 protein, human; C524625:MUC2 protein, human; C524626:Muc2 protein, mouse