To further determine the biological function of SPINK4 in CRC, we examined SPINK4 expression in four CRC cell lines (HCT116, LoVo, RKO, and SW480) and a human colon mucosal epithelial cell line (NCM460), and found that SPINK4 mRNA was significantly higher in the LoVo and HCT116 cell lines when compared to the NCM460 cells, however no significant difference was observed between SW480 and NCM460 cells (Fig. 2A). This evidence concerns the gene SPINK4 and colorectal carcinoma.