Bile Acid Metabolism Linked to Colorectal Cancer Prognosis
A multi-omics study has linked the suppression of bile acid metabolism to colorectal cancer prognosis. Researchers identified a 15-gene signature that correlates with patient survival rates, offering potential new biomarkers for the disease.
Why it matters
This research advances the understanding of metabolic reprogramming in cancer, potentially leading to more accurate prognostic tools for colorectal cancer patients.
BILE acid metabolism was consistently suppressed in colorectal cancer and was associated with patient prognosis, according to a comprehensive multi omics analysis integrating transcriptomic, spatial, single cell, and microbiome data.
Metabolic reprogramming is a recognised feature of colorectal cancer, but the contribution of the bile acid metabolism pathway has remained unclear. To investigate its clinical relevance, researchers applied an integrative analytical framework combining bulk transcriptomics, single cell transcriptomics, spatial transcriptomics, and gut microbiome data. The findings were further validated using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction on paired tumour and normal tissue samples from patients.
The analysis demonstrated widespread transcriptional suppression of the bile acid metabolism pathway in colorectal cancer tumours. Experimental validation confirmed significant downregulation of representative pathway genes, including ABCA8 and ABCD2 , supporting the molecular findings observed across the multi omics datasets.
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