Assessing E-Cadherin and Connexin 43 Gene Expressions in Colorectal Cancer

Abstract

Objective: Dysregulation of cellular adhesion is one of the main mechanisms responsible for tumor initiation, proliferation, and survival. E-cadherin is a cell adhesion molecule associated with tissue invasion and metastasis in most epithelial cancers. Gap junctions are known as small molecular channels that allow communication between neighboring cells and consist of connexin molecules. Connexin 43 (Cx43) is a gap junction protein that plays a central role in cell-cycle regulation and has an important function in carcinogenesis. The present study aimed to evaluate the expression levels of E-cadherin and Cx43 in colorectal cancer patients using clinical and prognostic parameters.

Materials and Methods: The quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) method was utilized to characterize the expression patterns of the E-cadherin and Cx43 genes in tumor and adjacent non-tumoral colon tissues from 32 colorectal cancer patients. Analysis of gene expression data was carried out using the delta-CT method.

Results: The results show the expression level of Cx43 to decrease 14-fold in tumor tissue compared to normal tissue (p<0.05). However, the study could find no significant difference with regard to E-cadherin expression.

Conclusion: The research provides valuable clues to the elucidation of tumor development and metastatic processes for further studies.

Keywords

• Colorectal cancer
• cell adhesion
• connexin 43
• E-cadherin
• quantitative PCR

References

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