Tumour budding and poorly differentiated clusters in colon cancer – different manifestations of partial epithelial–mesenchymal transition

Pavlič, Ana (author), Boštjančič, Emanuela (author), Kavalar, Rajko (author), Ilijevec, Bojan (author), Bonin, Serena (author), Zanconati, Fabrizio (author), Zidar, Nina (author)

Morphological features including infiltrative growth, tumour budding (TB), and poorly differentiated clusters (PDCs) have a firmly established negative predictive value in colorectal cancer (CRC). Despite extensive research, the mechanisms underlying different tumour growth patterns remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the involvement of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) in TB and PDCs in CRC. Using laser-capture microdissection, we obtained distinct parts of the primary CRC including TB, PDCs, expansive tumour front, and the central part of the tumour, and analysed the expression of EMT-related markers, i.e. the miR-200 family, ZEB1/2, RND3, and CDH1. In TB, the miR-200 family and CDH1 were significantly downregulated, while ZEB2 was significantly upregulated. In PDCs, miR-141, miR-200c, and CDH1 were significantly downregulated. No significant differences were observed in the expression of any EMT-related markers between the expansive tumour front and the central part of the tumour. Our results suggest that both TB and PDCs are related to partial EMT. Discrete differences in morphology and expression of EMT-related markers between TB and PDCs indicate that they represent different manifestations of partial EMT. TB seems to be closer to complete EMT than PDCs.

• Language: English
• Keywords: colon cancer, colorectal cancer, epitheliall–mesenchymal transition, miRNA, partial epithelial–mesenchymal transition, poorly differentiated clusters, tumour budding
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: MF - Faculty of Medicine
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2022
• Number of pages: Str. 278-288
• Numbering: Vol. 258, iss. 3
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-141977
• UDC: 616
• ISSN on article: 0022-3417
• DOI: 10.1002/path.5998
• COBISS.SI-ID: 121432323
• Publication date in RUL: 13.10.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: The journal of pathology
• Shortened title: J. pathol.
• Publisher: Wiley, The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland
• ISSN: 0022-3417
• COBISS.SI-ID: 4745738

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Description: The most restrictive Creative Commons license. This only allows people to download and share the work for no commercial gain and for no other purposes.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: rak debelega črevesa, kolorektalni rak, epitelno-mezenhimski prehod

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P3-0054
• Name: Patologija in molekularna genetika

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: J3-1754
• Name: Novi prognostični in diagnostični označevalci v razvoju raka debelega črevesa in danke