Published online Aug 21, 2018. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v24.i31.3538
Peer-review started: May 11, 2018
First decision: May 16, 2018
Revised: May 25, 2018
Accepted: June 25, 2018
Article in press: June 25, 2018
Published online: August 21, 2018
Processing time: 98 Days and 8 Hours
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most prevalent gastrointestinal tract malignancy worldwide. The prognosis of CRC patients remains relatively poor. B7 homolog 3 (B7-H3) mRNA is widely expressed on many tissues and cell types. However, B7-H3 protein is not constitutively expressed on T-cells, natural killer cells and antigen-presenting cells. The β-1,3-galactosyltransferase-4 (B3GALT4), which belongs to β-1,3-galactosyltransferase (β3GalT) gene family is abundantly expressed in human organs and tissues, predominantly in brain and involved in GM1/GD1 ganglioside synthesis. The β3GalT family may be closely related to the tumor.
There are insufficient reports about the correlation between B3GALT4 and CRC.
The aim of the present study is to investigate the clinical correlation of B7-H3 and B3GALT4 with CRC, and the correlation between the expression of B7-H3 and B3GALT4 was evaluated to determine their prognostic significance in CRC.
The authors identified the expression of B7-H3 and B3GALT4 in 223 CRC patient samples by immunohistochemistry and evaluated the possible correlation between B7-H3 and B3GALT4 and clinical outcomes. The mRNA and protein expression were also identified to establish the regulatory relationship of B7-H3 with B3GALT4 in vitro.
A significant positive correlation between B7-H3 and B3GALT4 was observed in CRC specimens. High expression of B7-H3 was identified as a significant independent predictor of poor overall survival (OS). High expression of B3GALT4 was also recognized as an independent predictor of inferior OS. In CRC cell lines with the stable expression of high B7-H3, the mRNA and protein expressions of B3GALT4 were significantly upregulated. The expression of B3GALT4 was significantly reduced when expression of B7-H3 was knocked down.
The expression of B3GALT4 in CRC and its positive correlation with B7-H3 in vitro was revealed, as well as B7-H3/B3GLAT4 as dual prognostic biomarkers for CRC.
The present study suggested that B7-H3 and B3GALT4 are novel prognostic biomarkers for CRC, and the significance of both B7-H3 and B3GALT4 as promising therapeutic targets for CRC are highlighted.