ABSTRACT Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common gastrointestinal cancers worldwide. Detection of CRC at the early stages of disease can play an important role in decrease of associated mortality rates. The Wnt signaling pathway is crucial for the progression of different cellular and developmental processes and Wnt pathway deregulation has been well characterized in a variety of cancers, particularly in CRC. The aim of this study was to analyze protein expression of Pygopus2 (PYGO2), the main transcription factor of Wnt pathway, in CRC tissues and evaluate its probable correlation with clinicopathological features of the patients. The expression pattern of PYGO2 was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in tumor tissues and their margin normal which is the piece of normal, or unaffected tissue excised from the surrounding the visible tumors in 46 CRC patients. A defined scoring system was applied to analyze immunostaining results. The expression of PYGO2 protein was detected in all tumor tissues. Furthermore, this expression was significantly higher in CRC samples than in normal tissues. There was a significant association between PYGO2 protein expression in CRC and tumor cell metastasis to the lymph nodes. Considering the significant expression of PYGO2 protein in colorectal tumor cells and its correlation with lymph node metastasis, this protein may be used as a biomarker for metastatic CRC as well as a putative therapeutic target to inhibit aggressiveness and metastasis of CRC.

中文翻译：

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PYGO2 作为在大多数结直肠癌中表达的独立诊断标志物

摘要 结直肠癌 (CRC) 是全球最常见的胃肠道癌症之一。在疾病的早期阶段检测 CRC 可以在降低相关死亡率方面发挥重要作用。Wnt 信号通路对于不同细胞和发育过程的进展至关重要，并且 Wnt 通路失调已在各种癌症中得到很好的表征，尤其是在 CRC 中。本研究的目的是分析结直肠癌组织中 Wnt 通路的主要转录因子 Pygopu​​s2 (PYGO2) 的蛋白表达，并评估其与患者临床病理特征的可能相关性。PYGO2 的表达模式通过免疫组织化学在肿瘤组织及其正常边缘（即正常的一块，或未受影响的组织从 46 名 CRC 患者的可见肿瘤周围切除。应用定义的评分系统来分析免疫染色结果。在所有肿瘤组织中均检测到 PYGO2 蛋白的表达。此外，CRC 样本中的这种表达明显高于正常组织。CRC 中 PYGO2 蛋白表达与肿瘤细胞向淋巴结转移之间存在显着关联。考虑到 PYGO2 蛋白在结直肠肿瘤细胞中的显着表达及其与淋巴结转移的相关性，该蛋白可用作转移性 CRC 的生物标志物以及抑制 CRC 侵袭性和转移的推定治疗靶点。在所有肿瘤组织中均检测到 PYGO2 蛋白的表达。此外，CRC 样品中的这种表达明显高于正常组织。CRC 中 PYGO2 蛋白表达与肿瘤细胞向淋巴结转移之间存在显着关联。考虑到 PYGO2 蛋白在结直肠肿瘤细胞中的显着表达及其与淋巴结转移的相关性，该蛋白可用作转移性 CRC 的生物标志物以及抑制 CRC 侵袭性和转移的推定治疗靶点。在所有肿瘤组织中均检测到 PYGO2 蛋白的表达。此外，CRC 样品中的这种表达明显高于正常组织。CRC 中 PYGO2 蛋白表达与肿瘤细胞向淋巴结转移之间存在显着关联。考虑到 PYGO2 蛋白在结直肠肿瘤细胞中的显着表达及其与淋巴结转移的相关性，该蛋白可用作转移性 CRC 的生物标志物以及抑制 CRC 侵袭性和转移的推定治疗靶点。