RESUMO
PURPOSE: Apoptosis is one of the main involved processes during development and organogenesis and its aberration may result in tumorigenesis. In the present study, due to the role of death inducer-obliterator 1 (DIDO1) in activation of caspases 9 and 3 during the apoptosis process, the role of DIDO1 as the shortest splicing variant of the DIDO gene was assessed for the first time in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients. METHODS: DIDO1 mRNA expression in tumor tissues from 50 ESCC patients was compared to their corresponding margin normal tissues using the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: Nine out of 50 (18%) and 13 out of 50 (26%) cases had DIDO1 under- and overexpression, respectively. There was a significant correlation between DIDO1 mRNA expression and tumor depth of invasion (p = 0.050). Also, there was a significant correlation between age of patients and levels of DIDO1 mRNA expression (p = 0.039). CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first report that assessed the DIDO1 expression in ESCC patients and revealed its probable role in the early steps of tumor progression and metastasis. Therefore, DIDO1 can be suggested as a marker for the primary ESCCs.