LIM domain proteins are involved in several fundamental biological processes, including cell lineage specification, cytoskeleton organization and organ development. Zinc finger
protein 185 (ZNF185) is one of the
LIM domain proteins considered to be involved in the regulation of cellular differentiation and/or proliferation. However, the detailed functions and properties of ZNF185 in the multistep process of
cancer biology have not yet been elucidated. In this study, we analyzed the association between ZNF185 and the clinicopathological characteristics of
colon cancer, such as patient age and gender, histological type, lymphatic and venous involvement, T and N status, liver
metastasis and stage. ZNF185
protein expression was immunohistochemically analyzed and ZNF185 was detected in the
cancer cells of 78 of the 87
colon cancer patients. The correlation between ZNF185 and histological type was significant (P=0.010, G-test). ZNF185 expression was also significantly correlated with liver
metastasis (P=0.030, G-test). A multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazards model was performed among cause-specific survival rate, ZNF185 expression and clinicopathological characteristics. Histological type, liver
metastasis and ZNF185 expression were found to be independent prognostic indicators (P=0.028, P<0.0001 and P=0.036, respectively). Therefore, ZNF185 expression was found to be an independent
indicator of liver
metastasis and prognosis in patients with
colon cancer.