High expression of Wnt7a protein predicts a poor survival in patients with colorectal carcinoma

Abstract

Background: Colorectal cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in China, and the number of new cases and the number of cases of deaths has increased annually. However, its pathogenesis is still unclear. Wnt7a is a member of the wingless-type MMTV integration site family, and it plays an important role in tumorigenesis and development by controlling cell proliferation and differentiation as a secreted glycoprotein. Whether Wnt7a has the properties of an oncogene or not is an important focus for future research as this target has diverse roles in different tumors.Methods: Wnt7a protein expression in normal colorectal mucosa and colorectal tumors was detected via immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to explore the associations between Wnt7a staining score and various clinical parameters.Results: Wnt7a was strongly expressed in colorectal cancer tissues but weakly expressed in adjacent normal mucosa and colorectal adenomas. The level of Wnt7a expression was correlated with lymph node involvement (P < 0.001), Duke stage (P < 0.001), and cell differentiation (P < 0.001). Knockdown of Wnt7a inhibits proliferation of colon cancer cells and inhibits the ability of both colon cancer cell lines to migrate.Conclusions: Collectively, our results present evidence that Wnt7a is associated with an unfavorable prognosis of colorectal cancer.