Chorionic Gonadotropin-β Modulates Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Colorectal Carcinoma Metastasis

Ectopic production of free β human chorionic gonadotropin (hCGβ) has been associated with aggressive behavior in non-trophoblastic tumors. hCGβ shares common evolutionary sequences with transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), which represents a major driving force of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). In this study, we examined the biological roles of hCGβ during EMT and its clinical significance in colorectal cancer (CRC) progression. Eighty CRC specimens and 54 preoperative serum samples were analyzed. hCGβ-overexpressing human CRC cell lines were examined for invasiveness and tumorigenicity, and the expression of EMT-associated genes was investigated. In human CRC, histologic hCGβ positivity [13/80 (16.3%)] was lower than serologic hCGβ positivity [13/54 (24.1%)]. However, it was significantly correlated with several clinicopathological features and unfavorable outcome ( P P P