Twist1 is a highly conserved basic helix-loophelix transcription factor, and has been shown to play an important role in carcinogenesis of many tumors including colorectal cancer (CRC). Here we aimed to investigate the role of Twist1 in the clinical significance and chemoresistance in CRC. In this study, we examined the correlation between Twist1 expression and clinicopathological characteristics using immunohistochemistry in patients with CRC. The molecular mechanisms of Twist1 expression and its effects on chemosensitivity to 5-Fluorouracil and oxaliplatin were also explored by MTT assay, colony forming assay, flow cytometry assay. The results indicate that Twist1 is overexpressed in cancer tissue, and its positive expression are related to histological grade (P=0.004), T-stage (P=0.033), N-stage (P=0.000), M-stage (P=0.040), TNM stage (P=0.002) and recurrence (P=0.023). Moreover, positive Twist1 expression is correlated with poor overall survival in CRC patients (P<0.0001), and is a significant independent prognostic indicator. In addition, we show that knockdown of Twist1 inhibits proliferation, and increased the percentage of apoptotic cells of CRC cell lines. Our findings suggest that Twist1 promotes proliferation and chemoresistance of CRC cells. Twist1 may be a potential prognostic marker and a molecular target for therapies.
Keywords: Twist1; chemoresistance; colorectal cancer; epithelial-mesenchymal transition; prognosis.