Upregulated WTAP expression in colorectal cancer correlates with tumor site and differentiation

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 17; no. 2; p. e0263749
• Main Authors: Dong, Xiao-Fang, Wang, Yan, Tang, Chih-Hsin, Huang, Bi-Fei, Du, Zhang, Wang, Qian, Shao, Jun-Kang, Lu, Hua-Jun, Wang, Chao-Qun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 10.02.2022; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Adenoma; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Antibodies; Biology and Life Sciences; Case-Control Studies; Cell Cycle Proteins - metabolism; Cell Differentiation; Colon; Colon cancer; Colorectal cancer; Colorectal carcinoma; Colorectal Neoplasms - metabolism; Colorectal Neoplasms - pathology; Confidence intervals; Development and progression; Differentiation; Female; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Genetic aspects; Health aspects; Hospitals; Humans; Male; Medical prognosis; Medicine and Health Sciences; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Invasiveness; Pathology; Physiological aspects; Prognosis; Regression analysis; RNA Splicing Factors - metabolism; Statistical analysis; Survival Analysis; Tissues; Tumor suppressor genes; Tumors; Up-Regulation; China; Denmark; Taiwan
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0263749

Few reports exist regarding the expression and function of Wilms’ tumor 1-associated protein (WTAP) in colorectal cancer (CRC), and the evidence is controversial. Our analysis explored the expression of WTAP in CRC tissue, and analyzed its clinical and prognostic significance. WTAP expression was significantly higher in CRC tissue than in colorectal adenoma and normal colorectal tissue. WTAP was highest in left colon tumor samples and negatively associated with tumor differentiation, as well as depth of tumor invasion. In multiple logistic regression analysis, independent predictors of WTAP expression in CRC included tumor in the left colon (odds ratio = 2.634; 95% confidence interval: 1.129–6.142; P = 0.025) and poorly differentiated tissue (0.072; 0.014–0.367; P = 0.002). No clear relationship was observed between CRC patient prognosis and WTAP expression. We suggest that WTAP expression is upregulated in CRC, highly expressed in left colon cancer and negatively correlated with tumor differentiation.