The significant aberrant expression of FOXC1 as a high specific and sensitive potential biomarker in gastric adenocarcinoma tumor tissues

FOX transcription factors regulate a wide array of biological processes including development, differentiation, and invasion. It seems that some FOX proteins are involved in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which is involved in the progression of cancer. However, the role of FOXC1, one of the members of FOX proteins, remains unknown in the progression of gastric adenocarcinoma. Here, by quantitative Real time PCR, we report the significant up-regulation of FOXC1 in gastric tumors compared with normal tissues. Also, because it was previously reported that FOXC1 expression is correlated with SUZ12 in breast cancer tissues, we wondered if this correlation exists in gastric cancer tissues. Concerning the role of SUZ12, one of the components of Polycomb repressive Complex 2, unraveling the relation between FOXC1 and SUZ12 may help us to decipher the mechanisms of gastric adenocarcinoma. In the current study, we demonstrate that FOXC1 expression can be considered as a good putative biomarker for gastric adenocarcinoma tissues by ROC curve analysis. Based on our results, FOXC1 may potentially be useful as a biomarker or molecular target in treatment or prevention of gastric cancer.