Fig. 1.

DACH1 marks crypt base cells in intestines and predicts poor outcomes in colorectal cancer patients. DACH1 expression in the mouse small intestine (a) and large intestine (b); scale bars=20 μm. In the mouse small intestine, DACH1 is expressed in crypt base cells interspersed between Paneth cells. Lysozymes (a marker of Paneth cells) were stained red, and DACH1 was stained green, which merged into cyan with DAPI (blue); scale bar=20 μm (c). DACH1 is also expressed in the human large intestine; scale bar=20 μm (d). DACH1 mRNA is overexpressed in colorectal cancer tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues, as detected by qRT-PCR (e), and IHC revealed that the expression of DACH1 increased in all stages of CRC when compared with the normal tissue (f) (*P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, Student's t-test; error bars: mean±SD). Elevated DACH1 expression at the invasive front of the tumour lesion; scale bar=100 μm (g). Kaplan-Meier survival analyses based on DACH1 expression for overall survival (h, P < 0.001, log-rank test, between high level and low level of DACH1) and disease-free survival (i, P < 0.001, log-rank test, between high level and low level of DACH1).