Expression of AGBL1, DCPS, RUNX1 and PHYKPL in colorectal cancer

Sammanfattning

Colorectal cancer is one of the deadliest cancer forms because of late detection. Biomarkers can be used as an indication of cancer and plays of late a great role in cancer care, there are however currently no specific biomarkers that can be used for early detection of colorectal cancer. The genes AGBL1, DCPS, PHYKPL and RUNX1 have been suggested to be affected in colorectal cancer and the aim of this study was to investigate the expression of these in patients with colorectal cancer to understand more about the mechanisms involved in cancerogenesis. The gene expression in colorectal tumors and normal tissue was analysed by real-time PCR. Immunohistochemistry and western blot were used to analyse the expression of phosphorylated RUNX1 protein. The gene DCPS was downregulated by half and PHYKPL was downregulated about five times. RUNX1 was upregulated three times in the tumors, however, any active RUNX1-protein could not be detected in the tissue. Further studies are needed on these genes to fully understand their potential role in the disease and as prognostic markers.