Annexins play a crucial role in plant development and response to environmental stimuli. In this study, a total of 23 annexin genes (GmANN1 -GmANN23) were identified from the soybean genome database and for two of them (GmANN11 and GmANN14), complete cDNAs were cloned. GmANN1 -GmANN23 encoded a set of predicted proteins which showed high similarity to other known annexins. Most GmANN genes contained four putative annexin repeats. Generally, a type II Ca 2+ -binding site is found to exist in the first and fourth repeats. GmANN1, 10, 11, 12, and 14 showed different organ-specific expression patterns. Furthermore, expression of these five GmANNs was significantly induced by drought and abscisic acid. Expression of four annexins (GmANN1, 11, 12, and 14) was induced by cold and expression of three annexins (GmANN1, 11, and 12) responded to high salinity.

Aims: Annexin A1 (ANXA1) is a calcium- and phospholipid-binding protein and has been implicated in regulating inflammatory responses, cell proliferation and apoptosis. The evidence of its importance in carcinogenesis increased rapidly. However, the status of ANXA1 in hilar cholangiocarcinoma remains unclear. Here, we detected ANXA1 expression and determined its clinical significance in Chinese patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Methods: Tissue microarray blocks containing tumor specimens obtained from 61 patients were constructed. Expression of ANXA1 in these specimens was analyzed using immunohistochemical studies. Results: ANXA1 expression was observed in 27 cases (44.3%). Loss of ANXA1 expression was significantly associated with lymph node metastases and histopathologic grade. ANXA1 expression has a significant inverse correlation with recurrence and poor survival in univariate analyses.Multivariate analyses revealed that loss of ANXA1 expression was an independent predictor for future recurrence and overall survival in patients with cholangiocarcinoma. Conclusions: Decreased expression of ANXA1 is a common event in human hilar cholangiocarcinoma and is significantly correlated with the poor outcome of patients with cholangiocarcinoma, suggesting a potential role of ANXA1 in cancer development and progression.