CTPS1 suppresses proliferation and migration in colorectal cancer cells

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is now the third most prevalent tumor and one of the deadliest cancers worldwide, with an increasing prevalence every year. Therefore, we urgently need to understand the mechanisms regulating the progression of colorectal cancer and find potential diagnostic biomarkers. In this study, we performed an analysis using the TCGA and GEO databases to find a molecular biomarker for the diagnosis of CRC, namely CTPS1. The results of this analysis revealed that CTPS1 could promote tumor proliferation and metastasis. Furthermore, bioinformatics analysis revealed that CTPS1 promoted CRC progression through cell cycle and p53 pathways. Further investigation demonstrated that CTPS1 might be involved in the regulation of CCNB1, RRM2, GTSE1, CDK2 and CHEK2 genes. Moreover, PCR confirmed that CTPS1 regulated GTSE1 and CDK2 molecules. Then, western blot was used to verify that CTPS1 promoted the expression of GTSE1 and CDK2 by inhibiting the expression of p53. In summary, we identified an important diagnostic biomarker for CRC, namely CTPS1, and its importance was validated at the cellular level. These results suggest that CTPS1 could serve as a candidate biomarker for CRC and CTPS1 inhibitors may be a potential treatment for CRC.

结直肠癌（Colorectal Cancer, CRC）目前是全球第三大高发肿瘤，亦是致死率最高的癌症之一，且发病率逐年攀升。因此，我们亟需阐明结直肠癌进展的调控机制，并挖掘潜在的诊断生物标志物。
本研究借助TCGA与GEO数据库开展分析，筛选出可用于结直肠癌诊断的分子生物标志物CTPS1。分析结果显示，CTPS1可促进肿瘤增殖与转移。
进一步的生物信息学分析表明，CTPS1可通过细胞周期通路与p53通路调控结直肠癌的进展。后续实验验证显示，CTPS1可能参与调控CCNB1、RRM2、GTSE1、CDK2及CHEK2基因的表达。
此外，聚合酶链式反应（Polymerase Chain Reaction, PCR）实验证实，CTPS1可调控GTSE1与CDK2分子的表达；免疫印迹实验（Western Blot）进一步验证，CTPS1可通过抑制p53的表达，上调GTSE1与CDK2的蛋白水平。
综上，本研究筛选得到了结直肠癌的关键诊断生物标志物CTPS1，并在细胞层面验证了其功能重要性。上述研究结果表明，CTPS1可作为结直肠癌的潜在诊断生物标志物，而CTPS1抑制剂或可成为结直肠癌的潜在治疗手段。