Fig. 7: WFDC3 expression in CRC tissues.

a Representative images of WFDC3 immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining in CRC tissues and adjacent normal tissues. b Representative images of negative and positive expression of WFDC3 in CRC tissues (Magnification, 200×, Scale bars, 100 μm). c The number of WFDC3-positive and WFDC3-negative expression in adjacent normal tissues and CRC tissues. Statistical significance was determined by Pearson χ²‐test. d Quantification of WFDC3 expression according to IHC scores in normal and tumor tissues. IHC scores were compared by unpaired Student’s t-test. e WFDC3 protein expression in four paired CRC tissues and adjacent normal tissues was assessed by western blot. Western blot image has been cropped for presentation. f and g Relative mRNA expression of WFDC3 (f) and ERβ (g) in representative paired CRC tissues and adjacent normal tissues (blue: normal; red: tumor). Statistics were performed using paired Student’s t-test. h Kaplan–Meier analysis of overall survival in CRC patients categorized according to WFDC3 status. i Kaplan–Meier analysis of disease-free survival in CRC patients categorized according to WFDC3 status.