The top GPR176-correlated genes (PDPH, KIREL1, CLEC12A-AS1, CERCAM, IKBIP, LOX, COL5A2 and ELF3) were more highly expressed in oesophageal cancer than in normal tissue (Fig. 5E, p < 0.05), but the converse was true for C9orf152 and MT-TP (Fig. 5E, p < 0.05). This evidence concerns the gene ELF3 and carcinoma of esophagus.