FTHL17, PRM2, CABYR, CPXCR1, ADAM29, and CABS1 are highly expressed in colon cancer patients and are regulated in vitro by epigenetic alterations

Turki M Alrubie; Jilani P Shaik; Abdullah M Alamri; Mohammad Alanazi; Alaa T Alshareeda; Ayyob Alqarni; Homoud G Alawfi; Sarah M Almaiman; Mikhlid H Almutairi

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23689

FTHL17, PRM2, CABYR, CPXCR1, ADAM29, and CABS1 are highly expressed in colon cancer patients and are regulated in vitro by epigenetic alterations

Heliyon. 2023 Dec 14;10(1):e23689. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23689. eCollection 2024 Jan 15.

Authors

Turki M Alrubie¹, Jilani P Shaik², Abdullah M Alamri², Mohammad Alanazi², Alaa T Alshareeda³, Ayyob Alqarni⁴, Homoud G Alawfi⁴, Sarah M Almaiman⁵, Mikhlid H Almutairi¹

Affiliations

¹ Zoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box: 2455, 11451, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
² Department of Biochemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
³ Blood and Cancer Research Department, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Department of Surgery, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Department of Anatomic Pathology, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Background: Colon cancer is a serious public health issue and a major cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, including Saudi Arabia. Knowledge of genes associated with colon cancer development and progression is essential for identifying new cancer-specific biomarkers to improve the diagnosis of colon cancer.

Methods: The expression levels of FTHL17, PRM2, CABYR, CPXCR1, ADAM29, and CABS1 in 15 adjacent colon cancer and normal colon tissue samples from male patients were investigated using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) assays. qRT-PCR analysis was also used to determine whether reducing DNA methyltransferase (via 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine treatment) or histone deacetylation (via trichostatin treatment) increased the expression levels of the tested genes.

Results: The analysis of the 15 colon cancer and adjacent normal colon tissue samples revealed that all six genes were expressed in both groups, but their expression levels were significantly higher in the colon cancer group. Furthermore, the mRNA expression levels of the FTHL17, PRM2, CABYR, CPXCR1, and ADAM29 genes were considerably upregulated after treatment of HCT116 and Caco-2 cells with 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine and trichostatin. However, the CABS1 gene was activated only with trichostatin treatment.

Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest that FTHL17, PRM2, CABYR, CPXCR1, ADAM29, and CABS1 are suitable candidate biomarkers of colon cancer and their expressions are regulated by hypomethylation and hyperacetylation.

Keywords: 5-aza-2’- deoxycytidine; ADAM29; CABS1; CABYR; CPXCR1; Colon cancer; Expression; FTHL17; PRM2; trichostatin.