Association of Alpha B-Crystallin Expression with Tumor Differentiation Grade in Colorectal Cancer Patients
Cristina Pagano,
Giovanna Navarra,
Patrizia Gazzerro,
Mario Vitale,
Maria Notarnicola,
Maria Gabriella Caruso,
Elisabetta Cavalcanti,
Raffaele Armentano,
Chiara Laezza,
Maurizio Bifulco
Affiliations
Cristina Pagano
Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnologies, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80131 Naples, Italy
Giovanna Navarra
Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnologies, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80131 Naples, Italy
Patrizia Gazzerro
Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, Salerno, Italy
Mario Vitale
Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry “Scuola Medica Salernitana”, University of Salerno, 84084 Salerno, Italy
Maria Notarnicola
Laboratory of Nutritional Biochemistry, National Institute of Gastroenterology, “S. de Bellis” Research Hospital, Via Turi 27, 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy
Maria Gabriella Caruso
Clinical Nutrition Outpatients Clinic, National Institute of Gastroenterology ‘S de Bellis’ Research Hospital, Via Turi 27, 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy
Elisabetta Cavalcanti
Research Department, National Institute of Gastroenterology “S. de Bellis” Research Hospital, 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy
Raffaele Armentano
Research Department, National Institute of Gastroenterology “S. de Bellis” Research Hospital, 70013 Castellana Grotte, Italy
Chiara Laezza
Institute of Endocrinology and Experimental Oncology G. Salvatore, CNR, 80131 Naples, Italy
Maurizio Bifulco
Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnologies, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80131 Naples, Italy
Alpha B-crystallin (CRYAB, HSPB5) belongs to the small heat shock protein (HSP) family and is highly expressed in various human cancers, suggesting a crucial role in tumor progression. However, few studies have examined CRYAB expression in colorectal cancer (CRC). In the present study, we investigated the relationship between CRYAB expression and the clinicopathological features of CRC samples. We comparatively analyzed CRYAB protein expression in 111 CRC tissues and normal adjacent colonic tissue, observing that it was significantly lower in CRC tissues than in corresponding non-cancerous tissues. Moreover, immunohistochemical analysis showed a significant correlation between CRYAB expression and high histological grade G3 (p = 0.033). In summary, our results point to its possible application as a prognostic biomarker in CRC patients.
