Abstract: Objective  To investigate the expression of  sine oculis homeobox homolog1 (Six1) in colon cancer tissues and its effect on cell invasion of colon cancer cells. Methods  The positive expression rate of Six1 in 90 cases of colon cancer and adjacent normal tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry method. Six 1 small interfering RNA (SiRNA) was applied to suppress Six1. The invasion ability of colon cancer cells was detected by Transwell chamber test. Results  The positive rate of Six1 protein in colon cancer tissue was higher than that of normal tissues adjacent to cancer. After suppressing Six1, Six1 mRNA and protein expression levels of Six1 were significantly decreased, and the invasion cell number of HT29 cells was significantly decreased. Conclusion  The expression of Six1 is closely related to the development of colon cancer, and inhibition of  Six1 expression can  prevent  the invasion of colon cancer cells.

Key words: six1, colonic neoplasms, invasion