Single‑cell sequencing analysis reveals differences in the microenvironment of left‑ and right‑sided colorectal cancer
Researchers from the International Laboratory of Microphysiological Systems have presented a review devoted to single‑cell analysis of colorectal cancer. The article systematises current data obtained using single‑cell RNA‑sequencing technologies, with a particular focus on the fundamental differences between left‑ and right‑sided tumours
The analysis shows that left‑ and right‑sided colorectal cancer are heterogeneous diseases with distinct microenvironments, metabolic profiles and immune contexts. The application of single‑cell and spatial transcriptomic approaches has made it possible to identify specific cellular subpopulations, signalling pathways and intercellular interactions that determine tumour progression, therapy resistance and metastatic potential.
Special attention is paid to studies of intercellular communication using modern computational methods: left‑sided colorectal cancer is characterised by active communication between tumour cells and fibroblasts via the TGFB1–TGFBR1 and PLAU–PLAUR signalling axes, whereas right‑sided colorectal cancer is dominated by immune‑mediated interactions, including recruitment of immune cells through chemokine‑mediated ligand–receptor pairs CCL15–CCR1 and CXCL16–CXCR6, as well as immunosuppressive interactions via SPP1–CD44 and TIGIT–NECTIN2. These observations open up new prospects for developing personalised therapeutic strategies that take into account not only the anatomical location of the tumour, but also the cellular composition of its microenvironment. The results have been published in Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology.
