Abstract
BACKGROUND: The poor prognosis is partly due to the lack of efficient methods for early diagnosis on colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODS: Bioinformatic analysis and Immunohistochemical analysis were used to evaluate E3 ubiquitin ligase Ring finger and WD domain 2 (RFWD2) and ETS variant 1 (ETV1) mRNA and protein expression levels. RESULTS: The abundance of RFWD2 and ETV1 proteins from 76 CRC patients were examined. The relationship between their expression levels and clinic pathological parameters including prognostic significances were also detected. The expression of RFWD2 and ETV1 and the relative genes functions in CRC through bioinformatics methods were further analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, RFWD2 functioning as a tumor suppressor by negative regulating ETV1, which might play an important role in the development and progression of CRC. RFWD2 and ETV1 have the potential to serve as a pair of molecular biomarkers for the early diagnosis of CRC.