Expression of circadian genes correlates with liver metastasis and outcomes in colorectal cancer

Circadian rhythms are daily oscillations in various biological processes, generated by the feedback loops of eight core circadian genes: Period1 (Per1), Period2 (Per2), Period3 (Per3), Cryptochrome1 (Cry1), Cryptochrome2 (Cry2), Clock, Bmal1 and Casein Kinase I ε (CKIε). Recent studies have suggested that circadian genes participate in the growth and development of various cancers. This study examined the relations of circadian gene expression to clinicopathological factors and outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer. We studied surgical specimens of cancer tissue and adjacent normal mucosa obtained from 202 patients with untreated colorectal cancer. The relative expression levels of the circadian genes in the specimens were measured by quantitative real-time, reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Expression of the Clock gene and the CKIε gene in cancer tissue were significantly higher compared to that in adjacent normal mucosa. Expression of the Per1 and Per3 genes in cancer tissue was significantly lower compared to that in adjacent normal mucosa. Analysis of the relations between clinicopathological features and expression of the eight circadian genes in cancer tissue showed that high expression of the Bmal1 gene and low expression of the Per1 gene correlated with liver metastasis. On analysis of the relations between outcomes and gene expression, high expression of the Per2 gene was associated with significantly better outcomes than low expression of the Per2 gene. Overexpression of the Bmal1 gene and reduced expression of the Per1 gene may thus be useful predictors of liver metastasis. Moreover, reduced expression of the Per2 gene may be a predictor of outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer.