It is important to detect genes that may be good prognostic markers fo
r colon cancer patients. With this in mind, we identified the motility
related protein-1 (MRP1/CD9) gene in human colon tissues. The aim of
this study was to clarify the significance of MRP1/CD9 gene expression
in human colon cancers. We performed the differential mRNA display te
chnique between tumor/normal paired samples of the colon and identifie
d MRP1/CD9, Eighty-two surgical specimens of primary colorectal cancer
were analyzed by means of reverse transcription-PCR for the MRP1/CD9
gene. Its expression status and clinicopathological variables were ana
lyzed univariately and multivariately, The MRP1/CD9 mRNA expression wa
s positive in 56 cases and negative in 26 cases. The MRP1/CD9 negative
cases showed a significantly higher frequency of venous-vessel invasi
on and liver metastasis, or a worse prognosis than the MRP1/CD9 positi
ve cases (P < 0.05), Multivariate analysis with the Cox regression mod
el disclosed that MRP1/CD9 expression was an independent prognostic fa
ctor distinct from the lymph node status. The findings imply that the
study of MRP1/CD9 expression may be useful for predicting prognosis of
patients with colorectal cancer.