Are loss of desmocollin 1-3 and homeobox genes PITX1 and CDX2 associated with tumor progression and survival in colorectal carcinoma?
Reduced expression of PITX1 was independently correlated to shorter patients survival and could serve as a prognostic marker. Decreased expression of DSC1-3 is significantly correlated with higher tumor grading. Downregulation of DSC1 could be explained by DNA hypermethylation in colon cancer cells.
We conclude that preconditioning human CSCs with Y-27632 significantly reduces Dox-induced cell death and possibly involves the cleaved Caspase-3 and ROCK/Actin pathways. The beneficial effects of Y-27632 may be applied to stem cell-based therapy to increase cell survival rates after transplantation or to act as a cardiac protective agent for Dox-treated cancer patients.