Unveiling Colorectal Cancer Cell Heterogeneity: Identification of Biomarkers and Disease-driving Cell Subpopulations...

Analyzing colorectal cancer (CRC) tumor heterogeneity reveals key clues for identifying new therapeutic targets. This study systematically investigates cellular heterogeneity and potential biomarkers in CRC through the integration of single-cell and bulk transcriptomic data. By integrating single-cell and bulk transcriptomic data obtained from databases utilizing Scissor and CIBERSORTx, as well as survival analysis, goblet cells displayed notable distinctions across CRC and normal groups and meaningful links to CRC patient prognosis, leading to their recognition as a key cell subtype. Afterthat, CAPN9, AGR3, KLK1, ERN2, and CREB3L1 were identified as biomarkers, which showed a noteworthy downward trend in the CRC samples. These biomarkers were functionally involved in multiple biological pathways implicated in CRC, such as Retinol metabolism, Cell cycle, and Neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction. Moreover, molecular docking revealed that Permethrin demonstrated high binding affinity toward CAPN9, exhibiting a binding energy of -7.2 kcal/mol. This study showed that goblet cells played a key role in CRC progression. These findings support the understanding of CRC pathogenesis and the development of new therapies. The generated matrix provides a high-precision tool for the cell landscape research of CRC.