Reduced expression of Hugl-1, the human homologue of Drosophila tumour suppressor gene lgl, contributes to progression of colorectal cancer.

The human gene, human giant larvae (Hugl-1/Llg1/Lgl1) has significant homology to the Drosophila tumour suppressor gene lethal(2)giant larvae (lgl). The lgl gene codes for a cortical cytoskeleton protein, Lgl, that binds Myosin II and is involved in maintaining cell polarity and epithelial integrity. The human protein, Hugl-1 contains several conserved functional domains found in Lgl, suggesting that these proteins may have closely related functions. Whether loss of Hugl expression plays a role in human tumorigenesis has so far not been extensively investigated. Thus, we evaluated tumour tissues from 94 patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer (CRC) for loss of Hugl-1 transcription…