title: GABARAP is overexpressed in colorectal carcinoma and correlates with shortened patient survival.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptor-associated protein (GABARAP), the mammalian homologue of yeast Atg8, is involved in autophagosome formation during autophagy. The aim of this study is to explore the expression and its prognostic significance in comparison with various clinicopathological predictors of survival.
  
  
  METHODS
  GABARAP protein expression was determined by immunohistochemistry in 103 colorectal cancers. Cytoplasmic immunoreactivity was scored semiquantitatively. The results were analyzed in correlation with various clinicopathological variables, including patient survival. Chi-square test and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis were applied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The expression of GABARAP was significantly higher in colorectal cancers than that in adjacent matched nontumor tissues (51.5% vs 33.0%, p < 0.01). Increased expression of GABARAP expression in colorectal cancers was significantly correlated with a low grade of differentiation and shortened overall survival (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences between the expression of GABARAP and age, gender, stage, tumor size, location of primary tumor, and lymph node invasion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data demonstrated that GABARAP is frequently expressed in colorectal cancer. Overexpression of GABARAP is a new independent prognostic marker, which is associated with poor differentiation as well as shortened overall survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Jinling Hospital, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210002, China.
authors.forename: Yufeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miao
authors.forename: Youwei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yonglin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Longbang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Fangyu
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / Q000378:metabolism*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C116741:GABARAP protein, human; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins