Published online Jul 15, 2023. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v15.i7.1227
Peer-review started: March 26, 2023
First decision: April 18, 2023
Revised: April 28, 2023
Accepted: May 25, 2023
Article in press: May 25, 2023
Published online: July 15, 2023
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common malignancy in the world and has the second highest mortality rate. Early diagnosis can improve the prognosis of patients, so the search for biomarkers for CRC diagnosis is of clinical importance. Oncology research has entered the era of omics, in which proteomics is closely linked to the patho
Although many studies have focused on CRC, the means of diagnosis and treatment have not improved significantly, and the specific molecular mechanisms of CRC remain unclear. Exploring the proteomic profile of CRC and searching for potential diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets is essential.
To comprehensively characterize the exosomal proteomic profile of CRC tissue and to search for promising exosomal proteins as diagnostic biomarkers for CRC.
Exosomes were extracted from paired CRC tissues and paracancerous tissues for data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry. Differentially expressed exosomal proteins were screened by bioinformatics analysis and validated by parallel reaction monitoring analysis. Receiver operating characteristic analysis and survival analysis were performed to detect the diagnostic ability and prognostic relevance of the candidate exosomal proteins.
The study identified 128 upregulated proteins and 155 downregulated proteins between CRC tissue exosomes and paracancerous tissue exosomes. Functional enrichment of proteins is closely associated with the extracellular matrix. The candidate exosomal proteins TRIM28, NHP2, OLFM4, TOP1, SAMP and TAGL could distinguish CRC tissues well from paracancerous tissues and are potential diagnostic biomarkers for CRC.
This study provides a comprehensive exosomal proteomic characterization of CRC. The exosomal proteins TRIM28, NHP2, OLFM4, TOP1, SAMP and TAGL have the potential to be diagnostic biomarkers for CRC.
Mining novel diagnostic biomarkers for CRC at the level of exosomes and proteomics to improve the detection rate of CRC.