Amplifications of NCOA3 gene in colorectal cancers in a Chinese population.

AIM: To investigate the copy number variation of NACO3 gene in colorectal cancer (CRC) and its correlation with tumor progression. METHODS: A total of 142 samples of case-matched CRC tissues and adjacent normal tissues were obtained from patients undergoing bowel resection. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction method was used to investigate the copy number variations of NCOA3 as well as gene expression in the collected tissues. RESULTS: Copy number gains of NCOA3 were detected in 39 CRC samples (27.5%) and were correlated with tumor progression (χ2 = 6.42, P = 0.0112). Moreover, there was a positive correlation between copy number gain and mRNA over-expression of NCOA3 in CRCs (P = 0.0023). Expression level of NCOA3 mRNA was also enhanced in the CRC samples with unaltered copy numbers (3.85 ± 1.23 vs 2.71 ± 0.64, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Sporadic colorectal cancers exhibit different mechanisms of NCOA3 regulation.