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Updated: May 4, 2026

In vitro Organoid Culture of Primary Mouse Colon Tumors
Published on: May 17, 2013
OTX1 promotes colorectal cancer progression through epithelial-mesenchymal transition
Kun Yu1, Xin-Yi Cai1, Qiang Li1
1Department of Colorectal Cancer Surgery, Yunnan Tumor Hospital, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China.
Abstract:
Orthodenticle homeobox 1 (OTX1), a transcription factor containing a bicoid-like homeodomain, plays a role in brain and sensory organ development. In this study, we report that OTX1 is overexpressed in human colorectal cancer (CRC) and OTX1 overexpression is associated with higher stage. Functional analyses reveal that overexpression of OTX1 results in accumulation of CRC cell proliferation and invasion in vitro and tumor growth in vivo, whereas ablation of OTX1 expression significantly inhibits the proliferative and invasive capability of CRC cells in vitro. Together, our results indicate that OTX1 is involved in human colon carcinogenesis and may serve as a potential therapeutic target for human colorectal cancer.
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