Genetic Alterations of NF-κB and Its Regulators: A Rich Platform to Advance Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

Regulatory role of PPAR in colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common tumors in the digestive system, and the majority of patients are found to be in advanced stages, which is a burden to human health all over the world. Moreover, in recent years, CRC has been progressively becoming younger, with an increasing incidence mainly among patients <50 years old. Despite the increase in awareness of CRC and the continuous improvement of medical treatment nowadays, the challenge of CRC still needs to be conquered. By now, the pathogenesis of CRC is complex and not fully understood. With the deepening of research, it has been revealed that PPARs, as a transcription factor, are inextricably linked to CRC. This article outlines the mechanisms by which PPARs are involved in CRC development. An in-depth understanding of the pathways related to PPARs may provide new ways of developing effective therapies for CRC with PPARs as potential targets.

NF-κB pathway and angiogenesis: insights into colorectal cancer development and therapeutic targets

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is currently ranked as the third most common type of cancer, contributing significantly to mortality and morbidity worldwide. Epigenetic and genetic changes occurred during CRC progression resulted in the cell proliferation, cancer progression, angiogenesis, and invasion. Angiogenesis is one of the crucial steps during cancer progression required for the delivery of essential nutrients to cancer cells and removes metabolic waste. During angiogenesis, different molecules are secreted from tumoral cells to trigger vascular formation including epidermal growth factor and the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The production and regulation of the secretion of these molecules are modulated by different subcellular pathways such as NF-κB. NF-κB is involved in regulation of different homeostatic pathways including apoptosis, cell proliferation, inflammation, differentiation, tumor migration, and angiogenesis. Investigation of different aspects of this pathway and its role in angiogenesis could provide a comprehensive overview about the underlying mechanisms and could be used for development of further therapeutic targets. In this review of literature, we comprehensively reviewed the current understanding and potential of NF-κB-related angiogenesis in CRC. Moreover, we explored the treatments that are based on the NF-κB pathway.

Closing Editorial: Colorectal Cancer-A Molecular Genetics Perspective

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a significant global health challenge, ranking third in incidence and second in mortality among all cancers [...].

Identification of novel diagnostic biomarkers associated with liver metastasis in colon adenocarcinoma by machine learning

BACKGROUND

Liver metastasis is one of the primary causes of poor prognosis in colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) patients, but there are few studies on its biomarkers.

METHODS

The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-COAD, GSE41258, and GSE49355 datasets were acquired from the public database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between liver metastasis and primary tumor samples in COAD were identified by limma, and functional enrichment analysis were performed. MuTect2 and maftools were used to measure somatic mutation rates, while ADTEx was used to measure copy number variations (CNVs). The intersection of three machine learning methods, support vector machine (SVM), Random Forest, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), is utilized to screen biomarkers, and their diagnostic performance is subsequently validated. The correlation between biomarkers and immune cells infiltration was analyzed by Spearman method.

RESULTS

47 DEGs between liver metastasis and primary tumor samples in COAD were obtained, which were mainly enriched in the complement and coagulation, extracellular matrix (ECM), and peptidase regulator activity, etc. 38 out of 47 DEGs had mutations and exhibited a high frequency of CNV amplification or deletion. Furthermore, 3 biomarkers (MMP3, MAB21L2, and COLEC11) were screened, which showed good diagnostic performance. The proportion of multiple immune cells, such as B cells naive, T cells CD4 naive, Monocytes, and Dendritic cells resting, was higher in liver metastasis samples than that in primary tumor samples. Meanwhile, MMP3, MAB21L2, and COLEC11 exhibited an outstanding correlation with immune cells infiltration.

CONCLUSION

In short, 3 biomarkers with good diagnostic efficacy were identified, providing a new perspective of therapeutic targets for liver metastasis in COAD.

Study on the effect and mechanism of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus AFY06 on inflammation-associated colorectal cancer induced by AOM/DSS in mice

Introduction

Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus AFY06 (LR-AFY06) is a microorganism isolated from naturally fermented yogurt in Xinjiang, China.

Methods

In this study, we investigated the effects and mechanisms of LR-AFY06 in a mouse model of inflammation-associated colon cancer. The mouse model was established by azoxymethane/dextran sulfate sodium (AOM/DSS) induction. The tumor number in intestinal tissues was counted, and the histopathological analysis was performed on colon tissues. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction were performed to measure relevant protein levels in colon tissues.

Results

LR-AFY06 treatment alleviated weight loss, increased organ index, reduced intestinal tumor incidence, improved histopathological damage, decreased the levels of inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), nuclear factor κB (NF-κB), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in the serum and colon tissue, downregulated the mRNA expression of inhibitor of NF-κB beta (IκBβ), p65, p50, p52, B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), and B-cell lymphoma-extra large (Bcl-xL) in colon tissues, and increased the mRNA expression of Bid and caspase-8. The high concentration of LR-AFY06 exerted a better effect than the low concentration; however, the effect was slightly inferior to that of aspirin. Moreover, LR-AFY06 mitigated the intestinal inflammatory process and inhibited intestinal tumor development by regulating the NF-κB and apoptosis pathways.

Discussion

The present study indicates the regulatory potential of LR-AFY06 in inflammation-associated colorectal cancer in mice, providing a valuable basis for further research.