Tiam1 gene expression and its significance in colorectal carcinoma

AIM: To explore the expression of Tiam1 gene in colorectal carcinoma and its correlation with tumor metastasis. METHODS: Expressions of Tiam1 gene in 8 colorectal carcinoma cell lines were detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. In vitro invasiveness was determined by means of Matrigel invasion assay. The correlation of Tiam1 expression with the invasive ability was also analyzed. RESULTS: Tiam1 gene was highly expressed in LoVo and SW620, which were established from metastatic colorectal carcinomas in comparison with LS174T, SW480, HCT116, LST, HRT-18 and Hee8693, which were established from primary colorectal carcinomas. In vitro cell invasivion demonstrated that LoVo and SW620 had a higher invasive ability than LS174T, SW480, HCT116, LST, HRT-18 and Hee8693. The expression of Tiam1 gene was highly related to the metastatic potential of colorectal carcinoma cells. CONCLUSION: Tiam1 gene may play an important role in invasion and metastasis of colorectal carcinoma and is a metastasis-related gene. (C) 2005 The WJG Press and Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.