[Expression of TEIF protein in colorectal tumors and its correlation with centrosome abnormality].

Background and objective: Telomerase transcriptional elements-interacting factor (TEIF) gene found recently by our research group is a transcription factor of a kind of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) gene, and expresses in many kinds of tumor tissues. This study was to evaluate the expression of TEIF protein in human colorectal tumors and to explore its correlation with centrosome abnormality.

Methods: The expression of TEIF in 10 specimens of normal intestinal mucosa tissue, 30 specimens of colorectal cancer, and 54 specimens of colorectal adenoma was detected by immunohistochemistry. The expression of gamma-tubulin was detected by immunofluorescence.

Results: Immunohistochemistry results showed that the differences of TEIF protein expression between the normal group and each tumor groups were statistically significant (P<0.01), and the difference of TEIF protein expression between the malignant tumor group and the benign group was not significant (P>0.05). TEIF strong positive rate (> or =++) was significantly higher in the carcinoma group than in the adenoma group or normal group (all P<0.001); the differences of TEIF strong positive rate between Grade I adenoma and Grade II or III adenoma were statistically significant (P<0.05), and the difference of TEIF strong positive rate between Grade II adenoma and Grade III adenoma was not statistically significant (P>0.05). Immunofluorescence results showed that centrosome amplification-positive rate was significantly higher in the colorectal cancer group than in the normal group or the adenoma group (both P<0.01); the difference of the centrosome amplification positive rate between Grade I adenoma and Grade III adenoma was statistically significant (P<0.05), and the differences of the centrosome amplification positive rate between Grade II adenoma and Grade I or III adenoma were statistically significant (P>0.05).

Conclusions: TEIF protein and centrosome amplification is commonly found in colorectal tumors. The expression level of TEIF is related to tumor histological grade and malignant degree. TEIF protein expression and centrosome amplification showed a high degree of positive correlation.