Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33616840›Full record

ArticleCellular oncology (Dordrecht, Netherlands)2021

Functional relationship between CFTR and RAC3 expression for maintaining cancer cell stemness in human colorectal cancer.

Alejandra Graciela Palma, Mileni Soares Machado, María Cecilia Lira, Francisco Rosa, María Fernanda Rubio, Gabriela Marino, Basilio Aristidis Kotsias, Mónica Alejandra Costas

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cellular oncology (Dordrecht, Netherlands), 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 30% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. The function of chloride channels in digestive system disease (Review).International journal of molecular medicine · 2025
    Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Alejandra Graciela PalmaLaboratorio de Biología Molecular y Apoptosis, Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas Alfredo Lanari, IDIM-UBA-CONICET, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Combatientes de Malvinas 3150. Cuerpo II, Piso 1, C1427ARO, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Mileni Soares MachadoLaboratorio de Biología Molecular y Apoptosis, Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas Alfredo Lanari, IDIM-UBA-CONICET, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Combatientes de Malvinas 3150. Cuerpo II, Piso 1, C1427ARO, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
María Cecilia LiraLaboratorio de Biología Molecular y Apoptosis, Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas Alfredo Lanari, IDIM-UBA-CONICET, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Combatientes de Malvinas 3150. Cuerpo II, Piso 1, C1427ARO, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Francisco RosaLaboratorio de Biología Molecular y Apoptosis, Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas Alfredo Lanari, IDIM-UBA-CONICET, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Combatientes de Malvinas 3150. Cuerpo II, Piso 1, C1427ARO, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
María Fernanda RubioLaboratorio de Biología Molecular y Apoptosis, Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas Alfredo Lanari, IDIM-UBA-CONICET, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Combatientes de Malvinas 3150. Cuerpo II, Piso 1, C1427ARO, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Gabriela MarinoCONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Basilio Aristidis KotsiasCONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Mónica Alejandra CostasLaboratorio de Biología Molecular y Apoptosis, Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas Alfredo Lanari, IDIM-UBA-CONICET, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Combatientes de Malvinas 3150. Cuerpo II, Piso 1, C1427ARO, Buenos Aires, Argentina. mcostasra@hotmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4773-3389
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas · AR

Funding

Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas PIP 11220150100118COFondo para la Investigación Científica y Tecnológica PICT 1424, PBID 2014
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeCFTR mutations not only cause cystic fibrosis, but also increase the risk of colorectal cancer. A putative role of CFTR in colorectal cancer patients without cystic fibrosis has so far, however, not been investigated. RAC3 is a nuclear receptor coactivator that has been found to be overexpressed in several human tumors, and to be required for maintaining cancer stemness. Here, we investigated the functional relationship between CFTR and RAC3 for maintaining cancer stemness in human colorectal cancer.

methodsCancer stemness was investigated by analysing the expression of stem cell markers, clonogenic growth and selective retention of fluorochrome, using stable transfection of shCFTR or shRAC3 in HCT116 colorectal cancer cells. In addition, we performed pathway enrichment and network analyses in both primary human colorectal cancer samples (TCGA, Xena platform) and Caco-2 colorectal cancer cells including (1) CD133+ or CD133- side populations and (2) CFTRwt or CFTRmut cells (ConsensusPathDB, STRING, Cytoscape, GeneMANIA).

resultsWe found that the CD133+ side population expresses higher levels of RAC3 and CFTR than the CD133- side population. RAC3 overexpression increased CFTR expression, whereas CFTR downregulation inhibited the cancer stem phenotype. CFTR mRNA levels were found to be increased in colorectal cancer samples from patients without cystic fibrosis compared to those with CFTR mutations, and this correlated with an increased expression of RAC3. The expression pattern of a gene set involved in inflammatory response and nuclear receptor modulation in CD133+ Caco-2 cells was found to be shared with that in CFTRwt Caco-2 cells. These genes may contribute to colorectal cancer development.

conclusionsCFTR may play a non-tumor suppressor role in colorectal cancer development and maintenance involving enhancement of the expression of a set of genes related to cancer stemness and development in patients without CFTR mutations.

Indexed as

Caco-2 CellsColorectal NeoplasmsCystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance RegulatorHCT116 CellsHumansNeoplastic Stem CellsNuclear Receptor Coactivator 3CFTR protein, humanCystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance RegulatorNCOA3 protein, humanNuclear Receptor Coactivator 3Cancer stem cellsCD133CFTRColorectal cancerRAC3

Identifiers

PMID33616840
PMCPMC12980735
OpenAlexW3133107558

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.