title: Increased expression of ATG10 in colorectal cancer is associated with lymphovascular invasion and lymph node metastasis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Autophagy has paradoxical and complex functions in cancer development, and autophagy-related genes (ATG) are key regulators in autophagy. Until now, more than 30 different ATG proteins have been identified in yeast, and their mammalian counterparts also have been reported. Although the roles of a few ATG proteins in cancer have been characterized, the role of ATG10 is almost completely unknown.
  
  
  RESULTS
  To investigate the clinicopathological role of ATG10 in colorectal cancer, we analyzed ATG10 expression in colorectal cancer tissues and cell lines. Protein expression analysis showed that ATG10 is highly increased in colorectal cancer (tissue - 18/37 cases, 48%; cell line -8/12 cell lines, 66%). Immunohistochemical analysis with clinicopathological features indicated a strong association of the up-regulation of ATG10 with tumor lymph node metastasis (p = 0.005) and invasion (p<0.001). Moreover, both 5-year disease free survival and overall survival rates of patients bearing tumors that did not express ATG10 were significantly higher than those of patients bearing ATG10-expressing tumors (p = 0.012).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increased expression of ATG10 in colorectal cancer is associated with lymphovascular invasion and lymph node metastasis indicating that ATG10 may be a potential prognostic maker in colorectal cancer.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of East-West Medical Science, Kyung Hee University, Gyeonggi-do, Korea.
authors.forename: Yoon Kyung
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Jo
authors.forename: Seung Cheol
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: In Ja
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: So Jung
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Dong-Hoon
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Seung-Woo
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Dong-Hyung
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Jin Cheon
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000071183:Autophagy-Related Proteins; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D042601:Lymphatic Vessels / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D044763:Ubiquitin-Conjugating Enzymes / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015854:Up-Regulation; D033921:Vesicular Transport Proteins
chemical_list: D000071183:Autophagy-Related Proteins; D033921:Vesicular Transport Proteins; C581901:ATG10 protein, human; D044763:Ubiquitin-Conjugating Enzymes