High WTAP expression level as a promising biomarker for poor prognosis in colorectal cancer: a pilot study

Michela Relucenti; Claudia Tito; Paolo Mercantini; Emanuela Pilozzi; Claudio Barbaranelli; Loredana Cristiano; Daniela Savarese; Daniela Bastianelli; Francesco Fazi; Vincenzo Petrozza; Xiaobo Li; Rui Chen; Selenia Miglietta; Giuseppe Familiari

doi:10.4081/ejh.2024.4145

European Journal of Histochemistry (Dec 2024)

High WTAP expression level as a promising biomarker for poor prognosis in colorectal cancer: a pilot study

Michela Relucenti,
Claudia Tito,
Paolo Mercantini,
Emanuela Pilozzi,
Claudio Barbaranelli,
Loredana Cristiano,
Daniela Savarese,
Daniela Bastianelli,
Francesco Fazi,
Vincenzo Petrozza,
Xiaobo Li,
Rui Chen,
Selenia Miglietta,
Giuseppe Familiari

Affiliations

Michela Relucenti: ORCiD; Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic, and Orthopaedic Sciences, Section of Anatomy, Sapienza University of Rome
Claudia Tito: ORCiD; Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic, and Orthopaedic Sciences, Section of Histology and Medical Embryology, Sapienza University of Rome
Paolo Mercantini: Surgery Unit, Department of Medical Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Sant’Andrea University Hospital, Rome
Emanuela Pilozzi: Pathology Unit, Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Sant’Andrea University Hospital, Rome
Claudio Barbaranelli: Psychology Department, Sapienza University, Rome
Loredana Cristiano: ORCiD; Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic, and Orthopaedic Sciences, Section of Anatomy, Sapienza University of Rome
Daniela Savarese: Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Pathology Unit ICOT, Latina
Daniela Bastianelli: Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Pathology Unit ICOT, Latina
Francesco Fazi: ORCiD; Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic, and Orthopaedic Sciences, Section of Histology and Medical Embryology, Sapienza University of Rome
Vincenzo Petrozza: ORCiD; Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Pathology Unit ICOT, Latina, Italy
Xiaobo Li: Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing
Rui Chen: Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing
Selenia Miglietta: Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic, and Orthopaedic Sciences, Section of Anatomy, Sapienza University of Rome
Giuseppe Familiari: ORCiD; Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic, and Orthopaedic Sciences, Section of Anatomy, Sapienza University of Rome

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4081/ejh.2024.4145
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 68, no. 4

Abstract

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Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major public health concern and identifying prognostic molecular biomarkers can help stratify patients based on risk profiles, thus enabling personalized medicine. Epitranscriptomic modifications play a relevant role in controlling gene expression, N6-methyladenosine (m6A) regulators play crucial roles in cancer progression, but their clinical significance in CRC cancer has thus far not been elucidated. Thus, we aimed to examine by immunohistochemical techniques and RT-qPCR, protein levels and RNAs expression of m6A writers (METTL3, WTAP) and eraser (FTO) in a cohort of 10 patients affected by CRC. The patients were followed for 5 years and values of METTL3, WTAP and FTO RNAs in alive vs dead patients were compared. Proteins expression and RNAs expression had a different trend, METTL3, WTAP and FTO proteins’ expression showed an increasing trend from non-cancerous adjacent (N) tissue vs carcinoma (CA) tissue G1 stage, and then a decreasing trend from G1 to G2 and G3 stages. The most marked increase was observed in WTAP that, from a 40% of protein expression positivity in N tissue raised to the 81% of positivity in G1 stage K tissue. RNAs expression of METTL3, WTAP and FTO genes in N tissue vs G1 stage CA tissue was significantly different, the analysis and comparison of RNAs values in patient alive after 5 years (0.58±0.04) vs patients dead after 5 years (1.69±0.29) showed that only WTAP values resulted significantly high in dead patients. The fact that WTAP protein expression levels lower while WTAP RNA expression remains high, lets us hypothesize a sort of inhibition of protein expression, but further studies are needed to clarify the mechanism. Although the results suggest a relationship between biological meaning and prognostic utility of WTAP, this prognostic utility must be confirmed by further studies on a larger sample.

Published in European Journal of Histochemistry

ISSN: 1121-760X (Print); 2038-8306 (Online)
Publisher: PAGEPress Publications
Country of publisher: Italy
LCC subjects: Science: Biology (General)
Website: http://www.ejh.it/

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