ArticleCell2021
Differential pre-malignant programs and microenvironment chart distinct paths to malignancy in human colorectal polyps.
Open access · bronzeAbstract read
In one paragraph
Article in Cell, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 212 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
212citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
18.6field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
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.
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.
Who cites it
212 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 325 citations in OpenAlex.
- Linked color imaging versus conventional white-light colonoscopy for the detection of colorectal polyps.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- A systematic review on the culture methods and applications of 3D tumoroids for cancer research and personalized medicine.Cellular oncology (Dordrecht, Netherlands) · 2025Pooled it
- Modifiable lifestyle and metabolic risk factors for colorectal polyps: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- Early Immune Remodeling Steers Clinical Response to First-Line Chemoimmunotherapy in Advanced Gastric Cancer.Cancer discovery · 2024Trial
- Dark matter matters: from noncoding RNA regulation to cancer immunity.Oncoimmunology · 2026Review
- The origins and progression of pyloric metaplasia following gastric mucosal injury.Physiological reviews · 2026Review
- Prevalence of intestinal spirochaetosis in serrated polyposis syndrome compared with other colorectal polyp conditions: a case-control study in Japan.BMJ open gastroenterology · 2026Article
- SPP1Journal for immunotherapy of cancer · 2026Article
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- Supermeres Containing the Discoidin Domain Receptor 1 Extracellular Domain Promote Collagen Alignment and Immune Exclusion in Microsatellite-Stable Colorectal Cancer.Cancer research communications · 2026Article
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- Colorectal cancer co-opts an epidermal wound healing program during metastasis to generate disseminated tumor cells.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Differences in T-cell Densities and Neighborhood Patterns in Human Colorectal Adenomas and Sessile Serrated Lesions.Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology · 2026Article
- METTL3 loss exacerbates colitis via mActa pharmacologica Sinica · 2026Article
- Comprehensive microbiome profiling reveals mucosal microbiome heterogeneity in patients with left- and right-sided colorectal neoplasia.Cancer biology & medicine · 2026Article
- Subcellular Redistribution of Endomembrane GPR15 Promotes NAD+-Mediated Metabolic Reprogramming and Boosts 5-FU Chemosensitivity in Colorectal Cancer.Cancer research · 2026Article
- A Soft Matrix Microenvironment Promotes Laterally Spreading Tumors via Oxidative Phosphorylation-Dependent Cell Adhesion.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Identification of tumor initiating cells and early marker genes in histologically normal colonic mucosa that lead to neoplastic transformation.Neoplasia (New York, N.Y.) · 2026Article
- Unlocking Wnt's weak spot: Glycosylated nanoalbumins to reignite immune responses in MSS-CRC.Journal of pharmaceutical analysis · 2026Article
- Microbiome-produced nicotinic acid controls colon regional identity and injury susceptibility.Cell · 2026Article
152 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
52 authors at 10 institutions in 2 countries.
Bob ChenProgram in Chemical and Physical Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA; Epithelial Biology Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Cherie' R ScurrahEpithelial Biology Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
Eliot T McKinleyEpithelial Biology Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
Alan J SimmonsEpithelial Biology Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
Marisol A Ramirez-SolanoDepartment of Biostatistics and Center for Quantitative Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Xiangzhu ZhuVanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of Epidemiology, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Nicholas O MarkhamEpithelial Biology Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Veterans Affairs, Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Cody N HeiserProgram in Chemical and Physical Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA; Epithelial Biology Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Paige N VegaEpithelial Biology Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
Andrea RolongEpithelial Biology Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
Hyeyon KimEpithelial Biology Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
Quanhu ShengDepartment of Biostatistics and Center for Quantitative Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Julia L DrewesDepartment of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Yuan ZhouDepartment of Biostatistics and Center for Quantitative Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Austin N Southard-SmithEpithelial Biology Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
Yanwen XuEpithelial Biology Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
James RoEpithelial Biology Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
Angela L JonesVanderbilt Technologies for Advanced Genomics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Frank RevettaDepartment of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Lynne D BerryDepartment of Biostatistics and Center for Quantitative Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Hiroaki NiitsuEpithelial Biology Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Mirazul IslamEpithelial Biology Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
Karin PelkaBroad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Matan HofreeKlarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Jonathan H ChenBroad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Siranush SarkizovaBroad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Kimmie NgDepartment of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
Marios GiannakisBroad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
Genevieve M BolandMassachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Andrew J AguirreBroad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
Ana C AndersonEvergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Orit Rozenblatt-RosenKlarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Aviv RegevBroad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Nir HacohenBroad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Kenta KawasakiDepartment of Organoid Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Toshiro SatoDepartment of Organoid Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Jeremy A GoettelDepartment of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
William M GradyClinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and Gastroenterology Division, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA.
Wei ZhengVanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of Epidemiology, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
M Kay WashingtonDepartment of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Qiuyin CaiVanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of Epidemiology, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Cynthia L SearsDepartment of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
James R GoldenringEpithelial Biology Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Jeffrey L FranklinEpithelial Biology Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA; Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Timothy SuDepartment of Medicine, Division of Epidemiology, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Won Jae HuhDepartment of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Simon VandekarDepartment of Biostatistics and Center for Quantitative Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Joseph T RolandEpithelial Biology Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Qi LiuDepartment of Biostatistics and Center for Quantitative Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Robert J CoffeyEpithelial Biology Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA. Electronic address: robert.coffey@vumc.org.
Martha J ShrubsoleVanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of Epidemiology, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA. Electronic address: martha.shrubsole@vanderbilt.edu.
Ken S LauProgram in Chemical and Physical Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA; Epithelial Biology Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA; Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA. Electronic address: ken.s.lau@vanderbilt.edu.
Vanderbilt University · USVanderbilt University Medical Center · USBroad Institute · USJohns Hopkins University · USKeio University · JPBrigham and Women's Hospital · USDana-Farber Cancer Institute · USHarvard University · USUniversity of Washington · USVA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System · US
Funding
Tumor Immunology and Microenvironment Research ProgramP30CA068485 · NCI · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI Ben Ho Park · 1995 to 2026
$172.8MThe Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR)UL1TR000445 · NCATS · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI BERNARD, GORDON RAPHAEL · 2012 to 2016
$41.4MTranslational Analysis CoreP30DK058404 · NIDDK · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI MARY Kay WASHINGTON · 2002 to 2026
$29.9MVanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center SPORE in Gastrointestinal CancerP50CA236733 · NCI · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI STEPHEN W. FESIK · 2019 to 2026
$19.6MTraining Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative GenomicsT32HG002295 · NHGRI · MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY · PI Peter J Park · 2001 to 2026
$15.8MVanderbilt Mouse Metabolic Physiology CenterU24DK059637 · NIDDK · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY · PI WASSERMAN, DAVID H · 2001 to 2015
$14.9MTennessee Valley Cooperative Human Tissue NetworkUM1CA183727 · NCI · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI MARY Kay WASHINGTON · 2014 to 2026
$12.6MMolecular, Cellular and Tissue Characterization UnitU2CCA233291 · NCI · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI COFFEY, ROBERT J., SHRUBSOLE, MARTHA J. · 2018 to 2023
$12.2MIntegrated approach to study early and late events in colonic neoplasia: mouse to manR35CA197570 · NCI · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI Robert J. Coffey · 2017 to 2026
$9.4MIntegrated Biological Systems Training in OncologyT32CA119925 · NCI · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY · PI Vivian Gama, William Patrick Tansey · 2008 to 2026
$7.6MInduction and Evolution of Metaplasia in the StomachR01DK101332 · NIDDK · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI Eunyoung Choi, James Richard Goldenring · 2014 to 2026
$5.9MTraining Program in Stem Cell and Regenerative Developmental BiologyT32HD007502 · NICHD · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY · PI WRIGHT, CHRISTOPHER V · 1997 to 2022
$5.4MBLRD VA I01 BX000930NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR000445NCI NIH HHS HHSN261201500003CNCI NIH HHS HHSN261201500003INCI NIH HHS K07 CA122451NCI NIH HHS P30 CA068485NCI NIH HHS P50 CA236733NCI NIH HHS R01 CA097386NCI NIH HHS R01 CA205406NCI NIH HHS R35 CA197570NCI NIH HHS T32 CA119925NCI NIH HHS U01 CA215798NCI NIH HHS U2C CA233291NCI NIH HHS UM1 CA183727NHGRI NIH HHS T32 HG002295NIAID NIH HHS T32 AI007281NIA NIH HHS U01 AG077920NICHD NIH HHS T32 HD007502NIDDK NIH HHS F31 DK127687NIDDK NIH HHS P30 DK058404NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK101332NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK103831NIDDK NIH HHS R03 DK123489NIDDK NIH HHS U24 DK059637NLM NIH HHS T32 LM012412
Abstract
Colorectal cancers (CRCs) arise from precursor polyps whose cellular origins, molecular heterogeneity, and immunogenic potential may reveal diagnostic and therapeutic insights when analyzed at high resolution. We present a single-cell transcriptomic and imaging atlas of the two most common human colorectal polyps, conventional adenomas and serrated polyps, and their resulting CRC counterparts. Integrative analysis of 128 datasets from 62 participants reveals adenomas arise from WNT-driven expansion of stem cells, while serrated polyps derive from differentiated cells through gastric metaplasia. Metaplasia-associated damage is coupled to a cytotoxic immune microenvironment preceding hypermutation, driven partly by antigen-presentation differences associated with tumor cell-differentiation status. Microsatellite unstable CRCs contain distinct non-metaplastic regions where tumor cells acquire stem cell properties and cytotoxic immune cells are depleted. Our multi-omic atlas provides insights into malignant progression of colorectal polyps and their microenvironment, serving as a framework for precision surveillance and prevention of CRC.
Indexed as
Tumor MicroenvironmentAdaptive ImmunityAdenomaAdultAgedAnimalsCarcinogenesisCell DeathCell DifferentiationColonic PolypsColorectal NeoplasmsDisease ProgressionFemaleGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticGene Regulatory NetworksGenetic Heterogeneityadenomacolorectal cancercytotoxicdifferentiationmetaplasiamultiplexpolypserratedsingle-cell RNA-seqstem cells
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