Expressions of hypoxia inducible factor-1α and autophagy related protein Beclin-1 in colon cancer and their clinical significances

Objective To investigate the expressions of hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and autophagy related protein Beclin-1 in colon cancer and their clinical significances. Methods From January 2017 to December 2018, 120 patients with colon cancer who were admitted to Dandong First Hospital were selected. The expressions of HIF-1α and Beclin-1 in colon cancer and corresponding adjacent tissues were detected by immunohistochemical SABC method. The relationship of the expressions of HIF-1α and Beclin-1 with the clinicopathological features of colon cancer patients was also discussed. The expressions of HIF-1α and Beclin-1 in 20 pairs of fresh colon cancer and paracancerous tissues were detected by Western blot. Results The results of immunohistochemistry showed that the positive expression rates of HIF-1α and Beclin-1 proteins in colon cancer tissues were significantly higher than those in paracancerous tissues [75.0% (90/120) vs. 21.7% (26/120), 60.8% (73/120) vs. 12.5% (15/120)], and the differences were statistically significant (χ 2 values were 68.343 and 60.359, both P 0.05). There was a positive correlation between the expressions of HIF-1α and Beclin-1 proteins in colon cancer (r = 0.483, P < 0.01). Conclusion The expressions of HIF-1α and Beclin-1 proteins in colon cancer tissues are significantly increased, and the interaction between them is involved in the occurrence and development of colon cancer. Key words: Colon neoplasms; Hypoxia-inducible factor 1, alpha subunit; Gene, Beclin-1; Autophagy