AKR1B10, a transcriptional target of p53, is downregulated in colorectal cancers associated with poor prognosis.

UNLABELLED: p53 is one of the most important tumor suppressor genes, and it is frequently inactivated in various cancers. p53 modulates various cellular functions, such as apoptosis and cell-cycle arrest via transcriptional regulation. Recently, p53 has been reported to be involved in a wide range of cellular metabolic pathways, including glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation, glutaminolysis, and the antioxidant response. To understand the functional mechanism of p53, it is important to find out the direct transcriptional targets of p53. In this study, aldo-keto reductase family 1, member B10 (AKR1B10) was identified as a direct target of the p53 family by cDNA microarray analysis after comparing the mRNA expression of control and H1299 cells that overexpressed with p53 family members. In addition, we found that the expression of AKR1B10 was significantly decreased in colorectal cancers and adenomas as compared with normal colon tissues. Knockdown of AKR1B10 significantly inhibited p53-induced apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells, whereas the overexpression of AKR1B10 enhanced p53-induced apoptosis and inhibited tumor proliferation in vivo. Furthermore, low expression of AKR1B10 in colon cancer patients was correlated with decreased survival and poor prognosis. These results suggest that decreased expression of AKR1B10 could disrupt the tumor suppressive function of p53, which result in decreased survival in colorectal cancer patients. In summary, AKR1B10 may be a novel prognostic predictor and a novel therapeutic target for colorectal cancer. IMPLICATIONS: AKR1B10, a transcriptional target of p53, is also a novel prognostic and therapeutic molecule in colorectal cancer.