Identification of an Autophagy-Related Gene Signature for the Prediction of Prognosis in Early-Stage Colorectal Cancer

A hot and cold tumor‑related prognostic signature for stage II colorectal cancer

Globally, colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most lethal and prevalent malignancies. Based on the presence of immune cell infiltration in the tumor microenvironment, CRC can be divided into immunologically 'hot' or 'cold' tumors, which in turn leads to the differential efficacy of immunotherapy. However, the immune characteristics of hot and cold CRC tumors remain largely elusive, prompting further investigation of their properties regarding the tumor microenvironment. In the present study, a predictive model was developed based on the differential expression of proteins between cold and hot CRC tumors. First, the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified using digital spatial profiling and mass spectrometry-based proteomics analysis, and the pathway features of the DEPs were analyzed using functional enrichment analysis. A novel eight-gene signature prognostic risk model was developed (IDO1, MAT1A, NPEPL1, NT5C, PTGR2, RPL29, TMEM126A and TUBB4B), which was validated using data obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas. The results revealed that the risk score of the eight-gene signature acted as an independent prognostic indicator in patients with stage II CRC (T3-4N0M0). It was also found that a high-risk score in the eight-gene signature was associated with high immune cell infiltration in patients with CRC. Taken together, these findings revealed some of the differential immune characteristics of hot and cold CRC tumors, and an eight-gene signature prognostic risk model was developed, which may serve as an independent prognostic indicator for patients with stage II CRC (T3-4N0M0).

Incorporating Novel Technologies in Precision Oncology for Colorectal Cancer: Advancing Personalized Medicine

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most heterogeneous and deadly diseases, with a global incidence of 1.5 million cases per year. Genomics has revolutionized the clinical management of CRC by enabling comprehensive molecular profiling of cancer. However, a deeper understanding of the molecular factors is needed to identify new prognostic and predictive markers that can assist in designing more effective therapeutic regimens for the improved management of CRC. Recent breakthroughs in single-cell analysis have identified new cell subtypes that play a critical role in tumor progression and could serve as potential therapeutic targets. Spatial analysis of the transcriptome and proteome holds the key to unlocking pathogenic cellular interactions, while liquid biopsy profiling of molecular variables from serum holds great potential for monitoring therapy resistance. Furthermore, gene expression signatures from various pathways have emerged as promising prognostic indicators in colorectal cancer and have the potential to enhance the development of equitable medicine. The advancement of these technologies for identifying new markers, particularly in the domain of predictive and personalized medicine, has the potential to improve the management of patients with CRC. Further investigations utilizing similar methods could uncover molecular subtypes specific to emerging therapies, potentially strengthening the development of personalized medicine for CRC patients.

Autophagy and the Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF) System in Colonic Cells: Implications for Colorectal Neoplasia

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common human malignancies worldwide. Along with apoptosis and inflammation, autophagy is one of three important mechanisms in CRC. The presence of autophagy/mitophagy in most normal mature intestinal epithelial cells has been confirmed, where it has mainly protective functions against reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced DNA and protein damage. Autophagy regulates cell proliferation, metabolism, differentiation, secretion of mucins and/or anti-microbial peptides. Abnormal autophagy in intestinal epithelial cells leads to dysbiosis, a decline in local immunity and a decrease in cell secretory function. The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling pathway plays an important role in colorectal carcinogenesis. This is evidenced by the biological activities of IGFs (IGF-1 and IGF-2), IGF-1 receptor type 1 (IGF-1R) and IGF-binding proteins (IGF BPs), which have been reported to regulate cell survival, proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. Defects in autophagy are found in patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS), inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and CRC. In neoplastic cells, the IGF system modulates the autophagy process bidirectionally. In the current era of improving CRC therapies, it seems important to investigate the exact mechanisms not only of apoptosis, but also of autophagy in different populations of tumor microenvironment (TME) cells. The role of the IGF system in autophagy in normal as well as transformed colorectal cells still seems poorly understood. Hence, the aim of the review was to summarize the latest knowledge on the role of the IGF system in the molecular mechanisms of autophagy in the normal colon mucosa and in CRC, taking into account the cellular heterogeneity of the colonic and rectal epithelium.

ATG101-related signature predicts prognosis and therapeutic option in hepatocellular carcinoma

Autophagy plays a critical role in tumor pathogenesis. However, autophagy-related signature in Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not been revealed yet. We quantified the levels of various cancer hallmarks and identified ATG101 as the major risk factor for overall survival in HCC. A robust ATG101-related gene signature (ATS) for prognosis was constructed using a combination of bioinformatic and statistical approaches. Additionally, genetic and immunological properties were measured between ATS-high and ATS-low groups. The ATS signature was associated with shortened overall survival in HCC patients independently of clinicopathological characteristics. ATS status defines an inflamed yet exhausted tumor microenvironment, in which the activities of the exhausted CD8+ or CD4+ T cells were strongly associated with ATS. The ATS signature predicts the drug resistance to the immunotherapy, thus a combination of targeted therapy and immunotherapy might be suitable for ATS-high patients. This work shed light on the function of ATG101-related genes in HCC and revealed that the ATS signature may be a useful prognostic biomarker for differentiating molecular and immunological features and predicting probable response to the therapy.