Expression of eIF6 and its relationship with cell proliferation in colorectal adenocarcinoma

Abstract Objectives Eukaryotic translation initiation factors (eIFs) are genes related to tumor formation. They selectively translate some mRNAs, regulate protein synthesis, promote cell proliferation, and effectively control the progression of some tumors. As a member of this family, eukaryotic translation initiation factor 6 (eIF6) plays a crucial role in tumor formation and progression. Exploring the expression characteristics of eIF6 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), a proliferation-associated factor, in colorectal adenocarcinoma (CRAC) and analyzing their correlation and clinical significance can provide a theoretical basis for the study of CRAC and objective biological indicators for the clinical judgment of tumor formation and progression. Methods The GEPIA database was used to predict the trend of eIF6 and PCNA in CRAC. Sixty-four patients diagnosed with CRAC and undergoing surgical treatment were selected from January 2017 to November 2022. CRAC tissues and normal mucous tissues (>3 cm away from the tumor margin) were retained. The expression of eIF6 and PCNA was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Colon cancer cell lines SW480, HCT15, and SW620 and normal colon cell line NCM460 were selected, and the expression of eFI6 and PCNA in these cells was detected by Western blot. Results A trend of elevated expression of eIF6 and PCNA was predicted in CRAC by the GEPIA database. The expression levels of eIF6 (65.63 % vs. 9.38 %, X 2 =43.2000, p<0.0001) and PCNA (84.38 % vs. 46.88 %, X 2 =19.9481, p<0.0001) were higher in CRAC tissues than that in normal mucosa as indicated by IHC. Significant difference in eIF6 and PCNA expression was found among different maxim tumor diameters and depths of infiltration in colon adenocarcinoma (p<0.05). No statistical difference in eIF6 and PCNA expression was observed among different genders, ages, degrees of differentiation, LNMets, intravascular cancer thrombosis, TNM stages, and numbers of lymph node metastases (p>0.05). A positive correlation was found between eIF6 and PCNA in CRAC (X 2 =5.05, r=0.77, p=0.0283). Their expression was significantly higher in SW480, HCT15, and SW620 than in NCM460 (p<0.05). Conclusions eIF6 is highly expressed in CRAC, participates in tumor formation and progression, and has a positive correlation with PCNA.