Background: Zinc finger and BTB domain-containing 4 (ZBTB4), which is a transcriptional regulator, has been identified as a tumor suppressor in several human carcinomas. So far, however, the expression of ZBTB4 and its possible clinical significance in colorectal cancer (CRC) remain unknown.
Materials and Methods: The mRNA and protein expressions of ZBTB4 in five CRC cell lines were respectively detected by performing qRT-PCR and Western Blotting. ZBTB4 expression in colorectal tissue specimens was determined, and subsequently its relationship with clinical prognosis was examined.
Results: The mRNA and protein expressions of ZBTB4 were significantly decreased in all the five CRC cell lines compared with normal colonic epithelial cells. Consistent with the cell data, immunohistochemical results showed that as compared with the normal colorectal tissue samples, ZBTB4 protein expression was clearly lower in the CRC tissue samples, especially in CRC patients with liver metastasis. In addition, low-expressed ZBTB4 was found associated with tumor metastasis stage (P=0.0003) and level of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) (P=0.0004). The overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) in the ZBTB4-low group were significantly lower than those in the ZBTB4-high group (P=0.0007 and P=0.0077).
Conclusion: The current findings showed that patients with high-expressed ZBTB4 in CRC tissues may develop a better prognosis, and ZBTB4 could serve as a potential therapeutic target for CRC treatment.
Keywords: colorectal cancer, ZBTB4 expression, immunohistochemical, clinical significance, prognosis