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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Mol. Biosci.
Sec. Molecular Diagnostics and Therapeutics
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2024.1510478
This article is part of the Research Topic Medical Knowledge-Assisted Machine Learning Technologies in Individualized Medicine Volume II View all 6 articles

Investigation of the Correlation between AGRN Expression and Perineural Invasion in Colon Cancer

Provisionally accepted
Lei Chen Lei Chen 1*Haijia Zhang Haijia Zhang 1*Kaiyue Gao Kaiyue Gao 1*Fanqi Meng Fanqi Meng 1*Funing Yang Funing Yang 1*Jiannan Li Jiannan Li 2Lijie Wang Lijie Wang 1*Jiandong Tai Jiandong Tai 1*
  • 1 First Affiliated Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
  • 2 Second Affiliated Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Colon cancer is one of the most common gastrointestinal malignancies. According to the traditional view, the primary modes of transmission include direct dissemination, hematogenous metastasis, and lymph node metastasis. In recent years, the role of perineural invasion (PNI) in the spread and metastasis of tumors has received immense attention. However, there are still relatively few reports on the potential mechanisms and biomarkers of PNI occurrence and development in colon cancer.We identified genes linked to the onset and progression of PNI in colon cancer using bioinformatics tools and extensive databases. Gene function enrichment analysis was used to explore the potential roles of these genes in tumor proliferation, invasion, and PNI. A collection of postoperative pathological specimens from colon cancer patients who underwent surgery, related clinicopathological data, and immunohistochemistry were used to validate AGRN expression in PNI tissues.Bioinformatics analysis revealed that AGRN is overexpressed in colon cancer tissues and correlates with poor patient prognosis. The findings from gene association and enrichment studies indicate that AGRN and its associated genes may play a role in PNI development and progression in colon cancer by simultaneously enhancing tumor cell invasion and neural cell growth. Immunohistochemical analysis of clinical samples confirmed that AGRN expression is elevated in colon cancer tissues with PNI.We found that AGRN is significantly overexpressed in colon cancer tissues exhibiting PNI and is linked to poor patient survival. AGRN and its related genes may contribute to PNI by promoting tumor cell invasion and neural cell growth. Hence, AGRN may play a crucial role in the initiation and progression of PNI in colon cancer.

    Keywords: Colon Cancer, Perineural invasion, AGRN, bioinformatics, Immunohistochemistry

    Received: 13 Oct 2024; Accepted: 18 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Chen, Zhang, Gao, Meng, Yang, Li, Wang and Tai. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Lei Chen, First Affiliated Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
    Haijia Zhang, First Affiliated Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
    Kaiyue Gao, First Affiliated Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
    Fanqi Meng, First Affiliated Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
    Funing Yang, First Affiliated Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
    Lijie Wang, First Affiliated Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
    Jiandong Tai, First Affiliated Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.