gms | German Medical Science

126. Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Chirurgie

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Chirurgie

28.04. - 01.05.2009, München

CCR6 involvement in tumor cell homing to the liver

Meeting Abstract

  • corresponding author C. Rubie - Dept. of General -, Visceral-, Vascular - and Paediatric Surgery, University of the Saarland, Homburg/Saar
  • V. Oliveira Frick - Dept. of General -, Visceral-, Vascular - and Paediatric Surgery, University of the Saarland, Homburg/Saar
  • M. Wagner - Institute of Pathology, University of the Saarland, Homburg/Saar
  • M.K. Schilling - Dept. of General -, Visceral-, Vascular - and Paediatric Surgery, University of the Saarland, Homburg/Saar

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Chirurgie. 126. Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Chirurgie. München, 28.04.-01.05.2009. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2009. Doc09dgch10692

doi: 10.3205/09dgch088, urn:nbn:de:0183-09dgch0887

Published: April 23, 2009

© 2009 Rubie et al.
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Outline

Text

Introduction: The organ predilection of metastasis can be regulated by chemokines. Various chemokine receptors namely CXCR4, CCR6 and CCR7 have recently been shown to be involved in the regulation of metastasis. Therefore, we were challenged to investigate these chemokine receptors with view to their role in the regulation of colorectal cancer metastasis. Since the liver represents the first destination of colorectal cancer metastasis, we were particularly interested in colorectal liver metastasis and the expression of the respective ligands CXCL12/SDF1α, CCL20/MIP3α, CCL19/MIP3ß and CCL21/6Ckine in the liver.

Material and methods: In our approach we have looked for chemokine receptor expression in 65 harvested human cancer samples and the corresponding normal tissues using quantitative real-time PCR (Q-RT-PCR), Western analysis, immunohistochemical staining (IHC) and the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Results: Only chemokine receptor CCR6 was demonstrated to be significantly overexpressed in both malignant colorectal tumors and colorectal liver metastases. Consequently, we investigated the expression of the respective ligand CCL20/MIP3α in different organs in comparison to its expression in the liver. We observed that CCL20 exhibits peak levels of expression in the liver thus indicating an association between CCL20/CCR6 expression in human colorectal cancer and the promotion of colorectal liver metastasis.

Conclusion: Therefore, our findings strongly suggest an association between CCL20/CCR6 expression in human CRC and the promotion of colorectal liver metastasis.