Expression and significance of Tie-1 and Tie-2 receptors, and angiopoietins-1, 2 and 4 in colorectal adenocarcinoma: Immunohistochemical analysis and correlation with clinicopathological factors

• Published in: World journal of gastroenterology : WJG Vol. 11; no. 7; pp. 964 - 969
• Main Authors: Nakayama, Toshiyuki, Hatachi, Go, Wen, Chun-Yang, Yoshizaki, Ayumi, Yamazumi, Kazuyuki, Niino, Daisuke, Sekine, Ichiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Department of Molecular Pathology, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute,Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan%Department of Digestive Disease, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing210008, Jiangsu Province, China 21.02.2005; Baishideng Publishing Group Inc
• Subjects: Adenocarcinoma - metabolism; Adenocarcinoma - pathology; Angiopoietin-1 - metabolism; Angiopoietin-2 - metabolism; Angiopoietins - metabolism; Cell Differentiation; Colorectal Cancer; Colorectal Neoplasms - metabolism; Colorectal Neoplasms - pathology; Disease Progression; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Ligands; Receptor, TIE-1 - metabolism; Receptor, TIE-2 - metabolism; Tie; Angiopoietin; Colorectal carcinoma
• ISSN: 1007-9327; 2219-2840
• DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v11.i7.964

There is strong evidence that tyrosine kinases are involved in the regulation of tumor progression, cellular growth and differentiation. Recently, many kinds of tyrosine kinase receptors have been reported, among them Tie-1 and Tie-2 receptors constitute a major class. Angiopoietin (Ang)-1 is known as a ligand of Tie-2 tyrosine kinase receptor. The objective of this study was to establish a comprehensive Tie-1 and Tie-2 and Ang-1, 2 and 4 expression profile in human colorectal adenocarcinomas. We examined 96 cases of surgically resected human colorectal adenocarcinoma by immunohistochemistry and investigated the statistical correlation between the expressions of Ties and Angs and clinicopathological factors. Among the 96 cases of adenocarcinoma, 87 (90.6%), 92 (95.8%), 83 (86.5%), 89 (92.7%), and 76 cases (79.2%) showed positive staining in the cytoplasm of carcinoma cells for the Tie-1 and Tie-2 and Ang-1, 2 and 4 proteins, respectively. Histologically, the expressions of Ties and Angs were variable. The expressions of Ties and Angs were correlated with several clinicopathological factors, but did not correlate with the presence of lymph node metastasis. Ties and Angs were highly expressed in human colorectal adenocarcinoma cells. These findings suggest that the Tie-Ang receptor-ligand complex is one of the factors involved in the cellular differentiation and progression of human colorectal adenocarcinoma.