HETEROGENEITY OF EXPRESSION OF THE CALCIUM-BINDING PROTEIN CALRETINININ HUMAN COLONIC-CANCER CELL-LINES

We searched for the presence of calretinin (CX) in 12 colonic cancer c ell lines using immunohistochemistry, Western blot analysis and the re verse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). We were able t o demonstrate that calretinin is expressed in the cell lines HT-29, Wi Dr, LoVo, LS180, CO112, CO115, SW480, SW620, COLO205 and SK-CO-1, whil e no detectable amounts were found in the cell lines SW1116 and Caco-2 . in general, rapidly proliferating cell lines expressed calretinin, w hereas the protein was absent from cell lines with a low multiplicatio n rate. A possible role for calretinin in maintaining the proliferativ e cycle of tumor cells is discussed.