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SOAT1 is a new prognostic factor of colorectal cancer

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Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignant gastrointestinal cancers. Metastasis is the major leading cause of death in patients with CRC, and many patients treated with radical surgery were diagnosed with metastasis during follow-up. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms regulating CRC metastasis are still elusive. Sterol o-acyltransferase 1 (SOAT1) is a critical participant in maintaining intracellular cholesterol balance. Here, by analyzing the clinical specimens and in vitro cell line experiments, we evaluated the clinical relevance and role of SOAT1 in regulating CRC metastasis. The results revealed that SOAT1 was overexpressed in colon cancer tissues compared to peritumor tissues at mRNA and protein levels. High intratumor SOAT1 expression correlates to lymph node metastasis and indicates poor patient disease-free survival and overall survival. The silencing of SOAT1 strongly inhibited the migration and invasion ability of CRC tumor cells. These results demonstrated that SOAT1 was upregulated in colon cancer. Upregulation of SOAT1 expression may promote CRC progression by enhancing the migration and invasion ability of CRC. Our results indicate that targeting SOAT1 activity may be applied as a promising therapeutic strategy for preventing the metastasis of CRC after radical surgical treatment.

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Abbreviations

SAOT1:

Sterol o-acyltransferase 1

CRC:

Colorectal cancer

ACAT:

Acyl-coenzyme A: cholesterol acyltransferase

DMEM:

Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium

FBS:

Fetal bovine serum

PVDF:

Polyvinylidene difluoride membrane

qRT-PCR:

Quantitative real-time PCR

IHC:

Immunohistochemical

OS:

Overall survival

DFS:

Disease-free survival

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Author notes

  1. Xin-Chun Wang and Lin-Ming Luo contributed equally.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiotherapy, Weifang Yidu Central Hospital, Weifang, 262500, Shandong, China

    Xin-Chun Wang

  2. Department of Interventional Therapy, Weifang Yidu Central Hospital, Shandong, 262500, Weifang, China

    Lin-Ming Luo

  3. Department of Oncology, Weifang Yidu Central Hospital, Weifang, 262500, Shandong, China

    Tao-sheng Huang

  4. Department of General Surgery, Shangluo Central Hospital, 148 Beixin Street, Shangzhou District, Shangluo, 726000, Shaanxi, China

    Li-feng Feng

Authors
  1. Xin-Chun Wang
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  2. Lin-Ming Luo
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  3. Tao-sheng Huang
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  4. Li-feng Feng
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Correspondence to Li-feng Feng.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Weifang Yidu Central Hospital and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Wang, XC., Luo, LM., Huang, Ts. et al. SOAT1 is a new prognostic factor of colorectal cancer. Ir J Med Sci 191, 1549–1554 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11845-021-02746-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11845-021-02746-5

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