HOX genes are known as master regulator genes which give cells positional information in embryogenesis. In this study, we compared the expression patterns of 39 HOX genes among human colorectal carcinomas from the right large intestine (cecum, ascending and transverse colon), those from the left large intestine (discending and sigmoid colon, and rectum) and hepatocellular carcinoma. The express...

PURPOSE Recent reports revealed that the kinase domain of the ERBB2 gene is somatically mutated in lung adenocarcinoma, suggesting the mutated ERBB2 gene as an oncogene in human cancers. However, because previous reports focused the mutational search of ERBB2 primarily on lung cancers, the data on ERBB2 mutations in other types of human cancers have been largely unknown. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN H...

AIMS AND BACKGROUND Myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MYD88) is a protein involved in hematopoietic differentiation and innate immunity. Recent studies revealed MYD88 mutation in hematological malignancies and MYD88 overexpression in some solid cancers. The aim of this study was to see whether alterations of MYD88 protein expression and somatic mutation of MYD88 gene are feature...

The aim of the present study was to detect complex genetic alterations in colorectal carcinomas with and without microsatellite instability (MIN) by comparative genomic in situ hybridization. MIN due to replication errors is the hallmark of hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer. None of 6 MIN-positive tumors showed amplifications, and only 2 tumors displayed deletions of one chromosomal segment ...

Abnormal expression of the fragile histidine triad (FHIT) candidate tumor suppressor gene has been observed in a variety of human tumors, but little is known about its expression during colorectal tumorigenesis. Sections of 70 aberrant crypt foci (ACF), 55 adenomas, 84 primary colorectal carcinomas, and 13 metastatic lesions were evaluated immunohistochemically for Fhit expression. All normal c...

BACKGROUND Whereas the presence of a lymphoid infiltrate has been associated with a favourable prognosis in colorectal carcinoma, the proliferative and cytotoxic responses of freshly isolated tumour infiltrating lymphocytes are frequently impaired. In mice, tumour induced immune suppression has been associated with a decreased expression of the zeta-chain of the T cell receptor (TCR)-CD3 comple...

Chromosomal aberrations play a dominant role in colorectal carcinogenesis. The application of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) based techniques such as comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) and spectral karyotyping (SKY) revealed that colorectal carcinomas are characterized by a specific pattern of chromosomal imbalances which sequentially accumulate during cancer progression. This r...

Approximately 50% of patients with primary colorectal carcinoma develop liver metastases. Understanding the genetic differences between primary colon cancer and their metastases to the liver is essential for devising a better therapeutic approach for this disease. We performed whole exome sequencing and copy number analysis for 15 triplets, each comprising normal colorectal tissue, primary colo...

Expression of Human Neutrophil Peptides (HNP) 1-3 was recently found to be associated with development of colorectal cancer. Raised defensin-expression in tumours is believed to stem from increased infiltration of neutrophils into tumour environment. To further specify the role of alpha-defensins in tumourigenesis and progression, HNP1-3 were analyzed in colorectal adenomas and carcinomas of 87...

BACKGROUND One prominent event associated with colorectal adenoma-to-carcinoma progression is genomic instability. Approximately 85% of colorectal cancer cases exhibit chromosomal instability characterized by accumulation of chromosome copy number aberrations (CNAs). Adenomas with gain of chromosome 8q, 13q, and/or 20q are at high risk of progression to cancer. Tumor progression is also associa...