Motility related protein 1 (MRP1/CD9) expression in colon cancer

It is important to detect genes that may be good prognostic markers for colon cancer patients. With this in mind, we identified the motility related protein-1 (MRP1/CD9) gene in human colon tissues. The aim of this study was to clarify the significance of MRP1/CD9 gene expression in human colon cancers. We performed the differential mRNA display technique between tumor/normal paired samples of the colon and identified MRP1/CD9. Eighty-two surgical specimens of primary colorectal cancer were analyzed by means of reverse transcription-PCR for the MRP1/CD9 gene. Its expression status and clinicopathological variables were analyzed univariately and multivariately. The MRP1/ CD9 mRNA expression was positive in 56 cases and negative in 26 cases. The MRP1/CD9 negative cases showed a significantly higher frequency of venous-vessel invasion and liver metastasis, or a worse prognosis than the MRP1/CD9 positive cases (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis with the Cox regression model disclosed that MRP1/CD9 expression was an independent prognostic factor distinct from the lymph node status. The findings imply that the study of MRP1/CD9 expression may be useful for predicting prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer.