Gene and ABCG2 Protein Expression in Colorectal Cancer-In Silico and Wet Analysis.

ABCG2 (ATP-binding cassette superfamily G member 2) is a cell membrane pump encoded by the gene. ABCG2 can protect cells against compounds initiating and/or intensifying neoplasia and is considered a marker of stem cells responsible for cancer growth, drug resistance and recurrence. Expression of the gene or its protein has been shown to be a negative prognostic factor in various malignancies. However, its prognostic significance in colorectal cancer remains unclear. Using publicly available data, was shown to be underexpressed in colon and rectum adenocarcinomas, with lower expression compared to both the adjacent nonmalignant lung tissues and non-tumour lung tissues of healthy individuals. This downregulation could result from the methylation level of some sites of the gene. This was connected with microsatellite instability, weight and age among patients with colon adenocarcinoma, and with tumour localization, population type and age of patients for rectum adenocarcinoma. No association was found between expression level and survival of colorectal cancer patients. In wet analysis of colorectal cancer samples, neither gene expression, analysed by RT-PCR, nor ABCG2 protein level, assessed by immunohistochemistry, was associated with any clinicopathological factors or overall survival. An ABCG2-centered protein-protein interaction network build by STRING showed proteins were found to be involved in leukotriene, organic anion and xenobiotic transport, endodermal cell fate specification, and histone methylation and ubiquitination. Hence, ABCG2 underexpression could be an indicator of the activity of certain signalling pathways or protein interactors essential for colorectal carcinogenesis.