The EF-hand calcium-binding protein tescalcin is a potential oncotarget in colorectal cancer

// Yun Hee Kang 1 , Seung Ro Han 2 , Jong-Tae Kim 1 , Seon-Jin Lee 1 , Young Il Yeom 1 , Jeong-Ki Min 1 , Chul-Ho Lee 1 , Jae Wha Kim 1 , Suk Ran Yoon 1 , Do-Young Yoon 3 , Kwan Soo Hong 4 , Geum-Sook Hwang 4 , Hee Cheol Kim 5 , Young-Ha Lee 6 and Hee Gu Lee 1 1 Medical Genomics Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon, Korea, 2 Department of Biological Science, Daejeon University, Daejeon, Korea, 3 Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, BIMC, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea, 4 Seoul Center, Korea Basic Science Institute, Seoul, Korea, 5 Department of Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea, 6 Department of Infection Biology, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea Correspondence: Hee Gu Lee, email: // Young-Ha Lee, email: // Keywords : Tescalcin, colorectal cancer, cell growth, tumor growth, NF-κB Received : January 27, 2014 Accepted : March 17, 2014 Published : March 19, 2014 Abstract Tescalcin (TESC) is an EF-hand calcium binding protein that is differentially expressed in several tissues, however it is not reported that the expression and functional roles of TESC in colorectal cancer. Levels of messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression of TESC in colorectal cancer tissues were assessed using RT-PCR, real time PCR, immunohistochemistry, and clinicopathologic analyses. Quantitative analysis of TESC levels in serum specimens was performed using sandwich ELISA. Colorectal cancer cells transfected with TESC small interfering RNA and short hairpin RNA were examined in cell proliferation assays, phospho-MAPK array, and mouse xenograft models. Here we demonstrated that TESC is overexpressed in colorectal cancer (CRC), but was not expressed in normal mucosa and premalignant dysplastic lesions. Furthermore, serum TESC levels were elevated in patients with CRC. Knockdown of TESC inhibited the Akt-dependent NF-κB pathway and decreased cell survival in vitro . Depletion of TESC reduced tumor growth in a CRC xenograft model. Thus, TESC is a potential diagnostic marker and oncotarget in colorectal cancer.