HATH1 expression in mucinous cancers of the colorectum and related lesions.
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.
Park
Eun Taek
ET
Gastrointestinal Research Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94121, USA.
Oh
Hee Kyung
HK
Gum
James R
JR
Crawley
Suzanne C
SC
Kakar
Sanjay
S
Engel
Juan
J
Leow
Ching Ching
CC
Gao
Wei-Qiang
WQ
Kim
Young S
YS
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
D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D055262:Mucin-2; D009077:Mucins; C500942:ATOH1 protein, human; C524625:MUC2 protein, human; C524626:Muc2 protein, mouse