AKAP4, SPAG9 and NY-ESO-1 in Iranian Colorectal Cancer Patients as Probable Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarkers

Background and objectives: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most common gastrointestinal cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in women in the world. Cancer-Testis Antigens (CTAs) are a group of tumor-associated proteins which typically are expressed in normal reproductive cells of men, but their expression in normal somatic cells is silenced. CTAs, due to their limited expression pattern, are considered as promising targets for cancer diagnosis and immuno-therapy. Methods: Expression of AKAP4, SPAG9 and CTAG1B genes from the CTAs family was studied in both tumor and normal tissues of 62 Iranian CRC patients by RT-PCR with the aim of finding biomarkers for early detection and anticipated progression. Statistical analysis was performed SPSS software V22.0 to assess the significance of any associations. Results: Elevated expression of SPAG9 and AKAP4 genes was observed in approximately 66% and 44% of tumours, respectively, as compared to adjacent non-cancerous tissues. While a significant association was found between AKAP4 gene expression and metastasis (P-value: 0.045), expression of the CTAG1B (NY-ESO-1) gene was not observed in our cases. Conclusion: AKAP4 and SPAG9 genes may find use as diagnostic biomarkers for CRC and AKAP4 may play an important role in progression to metastasis.