ARHGEF7 is overexpressed in colorectal adenocarcinoma and associated with metastasis. ARHGEF7 was significantly upregulated in colorectal adenocarcinoma cell lines. (A) RT-qPCR analysis of ARHGEF7 mRNA showed that, compared with the FHC normal colorectal mucosal cell line, mRNA expression of ARHGEF7 was elevated in HCT116, HT-29, SW480, SW620, LoVo colorectal adenocarcinoma cell lines. (B) Western blot results showed ARHGEF7 protein was overexpressed in HCT116, HT-29, SW480, SW620 and LoVo cells relative to FHC cells. Expression of ARHGEF7 was significantly upregulated in colorectal adenocarcinoma tissues. (C) RT-qPCR was used to analyze mRNA expression of ARHGEF7 in colorectal adenocarcinoma T tissues (n=30) and corresponding NCTs (n=30). RT-qPCR results showed that the mRNA expression level of ARHGEF7 was significantly higher in T tissues than in NCTs. (D) Western blot results showed that the expression of ARHGEF7 was higher in T tissues than in NCTs. Upper panel: Representative western blot of randomly selected samples (D003, D012 and D024)l; lower panel: Scatter plot for ARHGEF7 expression in T tissues and NCTs. (E) mRNA and (F) protein expression of ARHGEF7 in colorectal adenocarcinoma tissues from advanced stage (TNM III) patients were significantly higher than that in those from early stage patients (TNM I/II). Expression of ARHGEF7 progressively increased from NCTs, to T, to LMNs from the same patient (n=5). (G) RT-qPCR analysis of ARHGEF7 mRNA in NCTs, T tissues and LMNs. P=0.003 NCT vs. T; P<0.001 NCT vs. LMN; P=0.005 T vs. LMN (P-values determined by analysis of variance and further SNK test). (H) Representative images of western blot results showed that expression of ARHGEF7 progressively increased from NCTs, to T, to LMNs from the same patient. **P<0.01; ***P<0.001. ARHGEF7, Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor 7; T, tumor; NCT nontumorous tissues; TNM, tumor-node-metastasis; LMN, liver metastatic nodule; RT-qPCR, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction.