The chromatin remodelling component SMARCB1/INI1 influences the metastatic behavior of colorectal cancer through a gene signature mapping to chromosome 22.

Background: INI1 (Integrase interactor 1), also known as SMARCB1, is the most studied subunit of chromatin remodelling complexes. Its role in colorectal tumorigenesis is not known.

Methods: We examined SMARCB1/INI1 protein expression in 134 cases of colorectal cancer (CRC) and 60 matched normal mucosa by using tissue microarrays and western blot and categorized the results according to mismatch repair status (MMR), CpG island methylator phenotype, biomarkers of tumor differentiation CDX2, CK20, vimentin and p53.