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Updated: Jan 9, 2026
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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
11.4K
Single-cell transcriptome analysis elucidates the microenvironmental interactions between colorectal cancer and
Tihong Qiu1, Xiaoying Wang2, Jie Li1
1Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College, Pidu District People's Hospital, Chengdu, China.
Medicine
|December 2, 2025
Summary
Colorectal cancer and sarcopenia share common cell types but exhibit distinct functions. This study reveals cross-tissue cellular heterogeneity and potential regulators, offering new insights into tumor-systemic effects and sarcopenia mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Gerontology
Background:
- Colorectal cancer (CRC) frequently co-occurs with sarcopenia (SP), impacting patient prognosis.
- The histopathological mechanisms driving this interaction remain largely unknown.
- Previous research lacked direct molecular evidence of trans-tissue microenvironmental interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the molecular mechanisms and cross-tissue interactions between colorectal cancer and sarcopenia.
- To resolve cellular heterogeneity and functional differentiation in shared cell types between CRC and SP.
- To identify potential regulators involved in the systemic effects of tumors and sarcopenia.
Main Methods:
- Integrated analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data from 16 CRC tissues and 17 SP tissues.
- Utilized Harmony for batch effect correction and combined cellular annotations.
- Employed differential expression analyses and CellChat communication modeling.
Main Results:
- Identified shared core cell types (endothelial cells, fibroblasts, monocytes) between CRC and SP, with distinct transcriptional profiles.
- CRC cells showed enrichment in inflammatory, angiogenic, and matrix remodeling pathways, associated with hypoxia.
- SP cells were biased towards muscle maintenance, metabolic regulation, and repair functions.
- Identified specific active pathways in each condition (MIF-CD74, COLLAGEN, THBS-CD47 in CRC; SDC4, CD36 in SP).
- Discovered stable expression of VWF, PDGFRA, and FCN1, suggesting a conserved homeostatic network.
Conclusions:
- This study elucidates the cross-tissue functional heterogeneity of shared cell types in CRC and SP.
- Identified potential pervasive regulators contributing to the observed interactions.
- Provides novel perspectives for understanding tumor-systemic effects and the microenvironmental mechanisms of sarcopenia.
