Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 13, 2025

Molecular Profiling of the Invasive Tumor Microenvironment in a 3-Dimensional Model of Colorectal Cancer Cells and Ex vivo Fibroblasts
10:33

Molecular Profiling of the Invasive Tumor Microenvironment in a 3-Dimensional Model of Colorectal Cancer Cells and Ex vivo Fibroblasts

Published on: April 29, 2014

11.2K

Decoding Molecular Interactions: Unraveling the Crosstalk between the Wnt Pathway and Key Signaling Networks by miRNA

Alireza Pasdar1,2, Pouria Abidi3, Forouzan Amerizadeh4,5

  • 1Department of Neurology, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention : APJCP
|July 29, 2025
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Dysregulated microRNAs (miRNAs) targeting the Wnt pathway drive colorectal cancer (CRC). Identifying key hub proteins offers new therapeutic targets for CRC treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Bioinformatics

Background:

  • Colorectal cancer (CRC) development is significantly impacted by microRNAs (miRNAs) that dysregulate the Wnt signaling pathway.
  • Understanding miRNA-Wnt pathway interactions is crucial for developing novel CRC therapeutic strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify key genes and proteins involved in miRNA-regulated Wnt signaling in CRC.
  • To explore potential therapeutic targets for colorectal cancer based on these interactions.

Main Methods:

  • Compiled a list of genes affected by dysregulated miRNAs targeting the Wnt pathway.
  • Constructed protein-protein interaction networks and identified hub proteins using network analysis algorithms.
  • Performed gene ontology, KEGG enrichment, CytoCluster, and promoter motif analyses.

Main Results:

  • Identified 15 central hub proteins, including EP300, NRAS, NF1, CCND1, SMAD4, and PIK3CA, through network analysis.
  • Enriched hub proteins in critical biological processes and cancer-related pathways.
  • Discovered dysregulated miRNA-targeted gene clusters and regulatory elements influencing hub protein expression.

Conclusions:

  • The identified hub proteins represent promising therapeutic targets for colorectal cancer.
  • These findings provide a foundation for developing targeted interventions to improve CRC treatment outcomes.
Keywords:
Network analysisSystems biologyWnt signalingcolorectal cancerpromotor motif analysis

More Related Videos

An In Vitro Protocol for Evaluating MicroRNA Levels, Functions, and Associated Target Genes in Tumor Cells09:45

An In Vitro Protocol for Evaluating MicroRNA Levels, Functions, and Associated Target Genes in Tumor Cells

Published on: May 21, 2019

8.5K
Detection of a Circulating MicroRNA Custom Panel in Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer08:12

Detection of a Circulating MicroRNA Custom Panel in Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

Published on: March 14, 2019

5.6K

Related Concept Videos

Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway02:54

Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway

The gene encoding the main signaling molecules of the Wnt signaling pathways (the Wnt proteins) was discovered almost four decades ago by Nüsslein-Volhard and Wieschaus. They identified and originally named the gene "wingless" (wg) after a phenotype discovered during their landmark genetic screen in Drosophila for body pattern defects. At around the same time, another researcher named Harold Varmus found that a murine tumor virus activates the mammalian wg homolog, Int-1, which...
8.9K
Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways01:41

Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways

Wnt is a zygotic effect gene that is expressed during very early embryonic development. It regulates various processes in animals starting from early development through the adult stage, such as organogenesis in the embryo and maintenance of neuronal and blood stem cells. Wnt proteins can induce a wide variety of intracellular pathways depending upon the specific abilities of different Wnt ligands to form a complex with shared and cognate receptors in the presence of different co-receptors. The...
7.4K
MicroRNAs01:22

MicroRNAs

MicroRNA (miRNA) are short, regulatory RNA transcribed from introns (non-coding regions of a gene) or intergenic regions (stretches of DNA present between genes). Several processing steps are required to form biologically active, mature miRNA. The initial transcript, called primary miRNA (pri-mRNA), base-pairs with itself, forming a stem-loop structure. Within the nucleus, an endonuclease enzyme, called Drosha, shortens the stem-loop structure into hairpin-shaped pre-miRNA. After the pre-miRNA...
3.1K
Interactions Between Signaling Pathways01:19

Interactions Between Signaling Pathways

Signaling cascades usually lack linearity. Multiple pathways interact and regulate one another, allowing cells to integrate and respond to diverse environmental stimuli.
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...
6.5K
Role Of Notch Signalling In Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal01:12

Role Of Notch Signalling In Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal

Notch signaling was first discovered in Drosophila melanogaster, where it is involved in cell lineage differentiation. Notch signaling regulates the maintenance and differentiation of intestinal stem cells or ISCs by controlling the expression of atonal homolog 1 or Atoh1. Atoh1 directs cells to differentiate into secretory cells.
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...
2.2K
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression

The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
3.9K