Interplay of USP47 and COX2 in Regulating Tumor Microenvironment in the Progression of Colon Cancer

Youhua Wu, Shuyu Wang, Tianxiang Zhang, Pengbin Zhang and Yunfei Cao

Background and Objective: The functional role of USP47 has been reported in many cancer types, but its role in colon cancer (CC) and its correlation with COX2 have not been reported so far. In this present investigation, the azoxymethane (AZ)/dextran sulphate sodium (DSS) mixture induces both early and late phases of colon cancer in mice, examines USP47 and COX2 in the development of CC and tries to examine whether both are correlated. Materials and Methods: The mice exhibited the early and advanced phases of CC after receiving a single injection of AZ, followed by either 3 or 7 injections of DSS at 5-day intervals. Histology, immunohistochemistry, in-situ hybridization and western blotting methods are employed to understand the expression of USP47 and COX2 and their association with CC progression. Results: The histology reveals cells with modest variations and the development of cellular clusters in early CC. The advanced phases of CC are characterised by the presence of many aggregations of undifferentiated cells that give rise to various foci. The levels of USP47 and COX2 exhibit a small rise in the early phases of CC, but their expression undergoes a significant exponential increase in the later stages of CC. On the other hand, the expression of COX2 in tissue where USP47 has been silenced is increased to a certain extent during the early stages of CC. However, it is suddenly reduced during the later stages of CC. Conclusion: Overall, current study data confirm that silencing of USP47 had a positive effect in inhibiting the progression of CC and also hampers the expression of COX2 at the final phase of CC.

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