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Updated: Jun 18, 2026

Induction of Intestinal Inflammation by Adoptive Transfer of CBir1 TCR Transgenic CD4+ T Cells to Immunodeficient Mice
Published on: December 16, 2021
Immune-driven induction of miR-501-5p by IL-17A enhances colorectal cancer progression
Yi Zhang1,2, Ping Wang1, Junchao Zhang1
1Department of General Surgery, General Hospital of Central Theater Command of Chinese PLA Graduate Joint Training Base, School of Medicine, University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Background:
Colorectal cancer (CRC) patients are more susceptible to infections due to immune dysregulation. The interleukin-17A (IL-17A) signaling pathway plays a critical role in both immune defense and cancer metastasis. This study aimed to identify novel microRNAs (miRNAs) involved in IL-17A-mediated CRC progression.
Methods:
RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was used to analyze gene expression in stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and HCT116 cells cultured with their conditioned media (CM). Candidate miRNAs involved in IL-17A or transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)-driven CRC progression were evaluated by reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), western blotting, and wound healing assays. Prognostic relevance was assessed in The Cancer Genome Atlas colon adenocarcinoma (TCGA-COAD) cohort via Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis.
Results:
IL-17 signaling emerged as one of the most significantly enriched pathways following immune stimulation. Both IL-17A and TGF-β upregulated the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) marker vimentin and promoted CRC cell migration. Among the five candidate miRNAs identified, miR-501-5p was markedly induced by IL-17A and TGF-β. Functional assays revealed that either transient overexpression or inhibition of miR-501-5p significantly altered CRC cell migration in response to IL-17A. Notably, elevated miR-501 expression was associated with more than a twofold increased risk of death in stage IV CRC patients from the TCGA-COAD cohort.
Conclusions:
IL-17 signaling may drive CRC progression and poor clinical outcomes in part through the induction of miR-501-5p, underscoring its potential role in immune-related cancer metastasis and as a prognostic biomarker.
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