Study On The Expression And Significance Of β-catenin,C-myc,MMP-7 In Colorectal Adenocarcinoma

Objective: To evaluate the effects and significance of β-catenin, c-myc and MMP-7 gene expression in colorectal carcinoma and the relationship among the three proteins. Methods: The expression of β-catenin,c-myc and MMP-7 gene was detected with the EnVision immunohistochemical method in 10 cases of normal colonic mucosa, 15 cases of colorectal adenoma and 43 cases of colorectal carcinoma. The relationship between the genes expression and clinical-pathological behaviors were also analyzed. Result: (1)In normal colorectal mucosa, β-catenin was positive in the cell membranes of epithelial cells. The cytoplasmic and nuclear β-catenin expression were found in the colorectal adenoma and carcinoma. The positive rate of β-catenin expression in the colorectal carcinoma was higher than that of adenoma (p<0.05).The The cytoplasmic and nuclear β-catenin expression in colorectal carcinoma were significantly associated with lymph node metastasis(p<0.01).(2)In normal colorectal mucosa, c-myc expression was negative. The expression of c-myc increased progressively from normal tissue to carcinoma(0%,30%,74.4%). The nuclear expression of c-myc in colorectal carcinoma was much higher than that in adenoma(p<0.05).(3)The expression of MMP-7 in normal colorectal mucosa is negative. The expression of MMP-7 in adenoma was much higher than that in normal colorectal mucosa(p<0.05).(4)Noticeable relation was found between β-catenin expression and c-myc,MMP-7 expression(p<0.01)The expression rate of β-catenin was significantly correlated with that of c-myc in the colorectal carcinoma(r=0.678; P<0.01). The expression rate of β-catenin was significantly correlated with that of MMP-7 in the colorectal carcinoma(r=0.422; P<0.01). Conclusion: Cytoplasmic and nuclear β-catenin expression may play a critical role in the carcinogenesis and progression of colorectal carcinoma. High expression of β-catenin,c-myc and MMP-7 in colorectal carcinoma play an important role in the tumorigenesis and development of adenocarcinoma. The c-myc and MMP-7 overexpression may be dependent on the β-catenin nuclear expression in colorectal carcinoma.