Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 21, 2026

Discovery of Driver Genes in Colorectal HT29-derived Cancer Stem-Like Tumorspheres
Published on: July 22, 2020
Induction of HSF1 expression is associated with sporadic colorectal cancer
Hui Cen1, Shu Zheng, Yong-Ming Fang
1Cancer Institute, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Zhejiang University, Hanzhou 310009, Zhejiang Province, China.
Aim:
To explore the activation of signal transduction pathways related with the carcinogenesis of sporadic colon cancers.
Methods:
A gene array monitoring the activation of 8 signal transduction pathways (PathwayFinder GEArray) was used to screen the differentially expressed genes between colorectal cancer and normal colon tissues. The differentially expressed genes were further analyzed by RT-PCR, using RNA derived from colorectal cancer and normal colon tissue of 35 patients.
Results:
The expression of HSF1, HSF27, HSP90 and iNOS was increased in colon cancer tissues compared to normal colon tissue using PathwayFinder GEArray. The RT-PCR results showed that the expression of HSF1 was increased in 86% (30/35) patients and the expression of iNOS was increased in 63% (22/35) patients.
Conclusion:
The induction of HSF1 gene expression is associated with sporadic colon cancer. HSF1 induces heat shock stress signaling pathway, which might play a role in the carcinogenesis of sporadic colorectal cancer.
Related Concept Videos
Role Of Notch Signalling In Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal
Direct cell-to-cell contact is needed for the activation of Notch signaling. The signal is initiated when a notch ligand binds to a receptor on an adjacent cell, also...
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Somatic cells are...
lncRNA - Long Non-coding RNAs
Cancers Originate from Somatic Mutations in a Single Cell
Cancers Originate from Somatic Mutations in a Single Cell
Cancer-Critical Genes II: Tumor Suppressor Genes
When the function of certain critical genes, especially those involved in cell cycle regulation and cell growth signaling cascades, gets disrupted, it upsets the cell cycle progression. Such cells with unchecked cell cycles start proliferating uncontrollably and eventually develop into tumors.
Such genes that act...
