Comparative gene expression profiling of normal and human colorectal adenomatous tissues

Adenomatous colorectal polyps are the precursors of the majority of colorectal cancers. Investigation into the gene expression changes in the progression of colorectal adenoma may offer potential targets for the development of novel diagnostic strategies. Previous gene expression studies have generally been based on a limited number of cases or only focused on a single or a few genes. The present study aimed to identify molecular characteristics of colorectal adenoma through analysis of pathways and gene ontology. The study identified 808 upregulated and 857 downregulated genes. Among the 40 pathways enriched with differentially-expressed genes, the Staphylococcus aureus infection pathway and the intestinal immune network for immunoglobulin A production pathway were identified as the most statistically noteworthy pathways at the early stage for colorectal tumorigenesis (P<0.05). These results provide new understanding of colorectal adenoma pathogenesis, with the hope of offering theoretical support for future therapeutic studies.