[Association of galectin-3 expression with biological behaviors of human colorectal carcinoma].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the association between galectin-3 expression and biological behaviors of human colorectal carcinoma.


METHODS
SP immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of galectin-3 in 158 cases of paraffin-embedded specimens (including 30 normal mucosa, 25 adenoma, 65 carcinoma and 38 metastatic tumor specimens). Real-time RT-PCR was performed to detect galectin-3 mRNA expression in 31 pairs of fresh carcinoma and corresponding adjacent normal mucosa specimens.


RESULTS
The expression levels of galectin-3 was significantly different between normal mucosa and adenoma tissues (P<0.001), and moderately or well differentiated colorectal carcinomas showed significantly lower expression of the galectin-3 than the poorly differentiated carcinomas (P=0.03). Invasive carcinomas exhibited higher galectin-3 expression levels than non-invasive ones (P<0.001), and galectin-3 expression in the colorectal carcinomas was significantly related with the lymph node metastasis (P<0.001). Galectin-3 mRNA expression in poorly differentiated colorectal carcinomas was about 1.98 times that in moderately or well differentiated colorectal carcinomas (P=0.03), and in invasive carcinomas, galectin-3 mRNA expression was 1.67 times higher than that in non-invasive ones (P<0.001). Galectin-3 mRNA expression in tumors with lymph node metastasis was 1.91 times that in non-metastatic tumors (P=0.013).


CONCLUSIONS
Galectin-3 expression is positively correlated with and invasion, poor differentiation and metastasis of colorectal carcinoma.
Zhang
Nan
N
Department of Pathology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China. zhangnan48@163.com
Ding
Yan-qing
YQ
Liang
Li
L
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D037502:Galectin 3 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
D037502:Galectin 3; D012333:RNA, Messenger