Clinical correlation of B7-H3 and B3GALT4 with the prognosis of colorectal cancer

AIM To investigate the expression and clinical significance of B7 homolog 3(B7-H3) and β-1,3-galactosyltransferase-4(B3 GALT4) in colorectal cancer(CRC) patients.METHODS Using tissue microarray, we identified the expression of B7-H3 and B3 GALT4 in 223 CRC patient samples by immunohistochemistry and evaluated the possible correlation between B7-H3 and B3 GALT4 and clinicaloutcomes. Further, the m RNA and protein expression were identified to establish the regulatory relationship of B7-H3 with B3 GALT4 in vitro.RESULTS A significant positive correlation between B7-H3 and B3 GALT4 was observed in CRC specimens(r = 0.219, P = 0.001). High expression of B7-H3 was identified as a significant independent predictor of poor overall survival(OS) [hazard ratio(HR) = 1.781; 95%CI: 1.027-3.089; P = 0.040]. Moreover, high expression of B3 GALT4 was also recognized as an independent predictor of inferior OS(HR = 1.597; 95%CI: 1.007-2.533; P = 0.047). Additionally, CRC patients expressing both high B7-H3 and high B3 GALT4 contributed to a significant decrease in OS(HR = 2.283; 95%CI: 1.289-4.042; P = 0.005). In CRC cell lines with stable expression of high B7-H3, the m RNA and protein expressions of B3 GALT4 were significantly upregulated. Similarly, the expression of B3 GALT4 was significantly reduced when expression of B7-H3 was knocked down.CONCLUSION The expression of B3 GALT4 in CRC is positively correlated with B7-H3 expression in vitro. B7-H3/B3 GLAT4 may be used as dual prognostic biomarkers for CRC.