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Comparison of Beta-catenin with TGF-beta1, HIF-1alpha and Patients’ Disease-free Survival in Human Colorectal Cancer

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Pathology & Oncology Research

Abstract

Beta-catenin accumulation is suppressed by TGF-beta1 (transforming growth factor beta1) in intestinal epithelium suggesting negative feedback between these two factors. Besides that, beta-catenin interacts with HIF-1alpha (hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha) at the promoter region of HIF-1 target genes. Our study was aimed at comparison of beta-catenin with HIF-1alpha, TGF-beta1, Ki67 and survival of sporadic colorectal cancer patients. Expressions of beta-catenin, TGF-beta1, HIF-1alpha, Ki67 were evaluated in triads of specimens of each primary tumor of 72 sporadic colorectal cancers with immunohistochemistry due to limited availability of tissue material. Disease-free survival was analyzed in case of all 100 beta-catenin stained tumors, in 85 cancers stained for HIF-1 and in 72 neoplasms with TGFbeta1 staining. Beta-catenin, TGF-beta1 and HIF-1alpha accumulated in 72 colorectal cancer cells. Beta-catenin correlated both with HIF-1alpha and TGF-beta1 in all colorectal cancers (p < 0.009, r = 0.307 and p = 0.003, r = 0.342, respectively) and in subgroups of different clinico-pathological profile. Beta-catenin failed to correlate with Ki67. In case of beta-catenin, TGF-beta1 and HIF-1alpha, disease-free survival curves failed to show any statistically significant differences between groups of marker negative tumors, cancers with low expression and neoplasms with higher protein expression. Positive correlations between beta-catenin and TGF-beta1 may indicate ineffective attempts of TGF-beta1 to reduce intracellular level of beta-catenin in colorectal cancer. Associations between beta-catenin and HIF-1alpha reflect previously detected interactions between HIF-1alpha with beta-catenin and are confirmative for presence of such reactions in human colorectal cancer.

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Acknowledgements

Andrzej Wincewicz would like to address the Foundation for Polish Science his thanks for awarding him a scholarship START.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Pathomorphology, Medical University of Bialystok, Waszyngtona St 13, 15-269, Bialystok, Poland

    Andrzej Wincewicz & Luiza Kanczuga-Koda

  2. Department of General Pathomorphology, Medical University of Bialystok, Waszyngtona St 13, 15-269, Bialystok, Poland

    Mariusz Koda, Stanislaw Sulkowski & Mariola Sulkowska

Authors
  1. Andrzej Wincewicz
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  2. Mariusz Koda
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  3. Stanislaw Sulkowski
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  4. Luiza Kanczuga-Koda
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  5. Mariola Sulkowska
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Correspondence to Andrzej Wincewicz.

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Wincewicz, A., Koda, M., Sulkowski, S. et al. Comparison of Beta-catenin with TGF-beta1, HIF-1alpha and Patients’ Disease-free Survival in Human Colorectal Cancer. Pathol. Oncol. Res. 16, 311–318 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12253-009-9217-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12253-009-9217-2

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