The actin-bundling protein fascin is overexpressed in colorectal adenomas and promotes motility in adenoma cells in vitro

BACKGROUND: Fascin is overexpressed in many cancers, including colorectal, but its role in the malignant transformation of benign colorectal adenomas is unclear. METHODS: Immunohistochemical analysis of fascin expression was carried out in resected human colorectal adenoma specimens. The effects of forced overexpression of fascin on adenoma cell motility were also analysed. RESULTS: We show fascin overexpression in adenomas increasing with tumour size, histological type, and degree of dysplasia and increased cell motility in adenoma cell lines following fascin transfection. CONCLUSION: These data suggest an important role for fascin in the malignant progression of colorectal tumours. British Journal of Cancer ( 2009) 101, 1124-1129. doi:10.1038/sj.bjc.6605286 www.bjcancer.com Published online 8 September 2009 (C) 2009 Cancer Research UK