The expression of transgelin in human colorectal cancer and its clinical significance.

Objective:To investigate a regular pattern of changes in transgelin expression during the occurrence and the development of human colorectal cancer and discuss its clinical significance.Methods:The expression of transgelin was detected in normal mucosa,adenoma,adenocarcinoma and liver metastatic tissues by Western blotting,immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence methods.The association of the expression of transgelin with expression of carcinoembryonic antigen was studied.The clinical value of transgelin was estimated by drawing ROC curve.Results:The expression of transgelin in tumor adjacent normal mucosa,adenoma,adenocarcinoma and liver matastatic tissues was significantly different(P0.05).The expression of CEA was not signifiantly different in adjacent normal mucosa and colorectal adenoma but greatly increased in colorectal adenocarcinoma and liver matastatic tissues(P0.01).The expression of transgelin protein had close correlation with the differentiation degree and Duke staging(P0.01).Statistical analysis of cumulative survival rate indicated that compared with transgelin-positive patients,the survival rate of those patients with weak or negative expression of transgelin was significantly decreased(P=0.004 2).The serum level of transgelin and CEA was significantly different(P0.01).During the early stage of malignant transformation of colorectal mucosa,transgelin expression alteration in situ was more sensitive than that of CEA while the variation of serum level of transgelin was similar with the serum level of CEA in the CRC patients.Conclution:Transgelin has the potential to become a novel tumor marker.