TSPAN1 protein expression: a significant prognostic indicator for patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
To determine if TSPAN1 overexpression is associated with clinicopathological and prognostic factors in human colorectal adenocarcinoma.


METHODS
Total RNA was extracted in 20 human adenocarcinoma tissues for TSPAN1 mRNA assay by RT-PCR. Eighty-eight specimens of human colorectal adenocarcinoma were surgically removed. TSPAN1 protein levels in cancer tissues were determined by immunohistochemistry using a polyclonal antibody against self-prepared TSPAN1. The correlation between TSPAN1 expression and the clinicopathological factors and the overall survival rate was analyzed by univariate and multivariate assay.


RESULTS
TSPAN1 mRNA was detected in 90.0% (18/20) of cancerous tissues. The light density of TSPAN1 mRNA expression levels was 0.89 +/- 0.30 in adenocarcinoma by gel-image system. TSPAN1 protein expression was detected in 78.41% (69/88) and weakly expressed in 40% normal colorectal tissues. There were significant differences between colorectal adenocarcinoma and normal control epithelium (P < 0.05). TSPAN1 protein expression in colorectal cancerous tissue was significantly correlated with the histological grade, cell expression PCNA, lymph nodal metastasis and TNM staging of the disease. Patients with TSPAN1 protein overexpression had a significantly shorter survival period than that in patients with TSPAN1 protein negative or weak expression, respectively (P < 0.05). Furthermore, by multivariate analysis, TSPAN1 protein expression demonstrated an independent prognostic factor for human colorectal cancers (P < 0.05, relative risk 0.755; 95% confidence interval 0.302-1.208).


CONCLUSIONS
The expression of TSPAN1 gene is increased in colorectal carcinoma, suggesting that TSPAN1 might serve as an independent prognostic factor for the colorectal adenocarcinoma patients.
Department of General Surgery, Affiliated Hospital, 20 Xi Si Road, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu Province, China. usazhujianwei@yahoo.com.cn
Li
L
Chen
Yuan-Yuan
YY
Zhu
Xiao-Juan
XJ
Zhang
Gui-Lan
GL
Wang
Xin-Yu
XY
Li
Song
S
He
Jian-Bin
JB
Zhang
Jian-Wei
JW
Zhu
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D015996:Survival Rate; D059470:Tetraspanins
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C508125:TSPAN1 protein, human; D059470:Tetraspanins