Stromal contribution to expression signatures of colorectal cancer (CRC tumor)

We noticed that a recently identified poor prognosis stem/serrated molecular subtype of colorectal cancer (CRC) is characterized by up-regulation of transcripts known to be also expressed by stromal cells. To better define the origin of such transcripts, we analyzed RNAseq and microarray datasets from CRC mouse xenografts, where human cancer cells are supported by murine stroma. The analysis revealed that mRNA levels of stem/serrated subtype genes are mostly due to stromal expression, even when the stromal fraction is below 5%. Indeed, a classifier based on genes exclusively expressed by cancer-associated fibroblasts was significantly associated, in multiple datasets, to poor prognosis of CRC and to radioresistance of rectal cancer.

10