Pathway-Specific Insights into Colorectal Cancer Through Comprehensive Multi-Omics Data Integration

Thousands of biomarkers have been discovered to solve the mechanisms of cancer, but dynamic alterations in the parameters that affect cancer progression cause complex disease status. Therefore, it is essential when dealing with cancer to analyze all parameters, including pathway information, to understand the disease mechanism of action. In our study, we applied multi-omics data integration for microbiome, transcriptome, and microbial pathway datasets obtained from colorectal cancer patients. The Cldn7 gene and Fusobacteria, which both play roles in the stability of the intestinal barrier, were found to be highly associated with each other (r = 0.71). The Klf3 gene has been identified as a critical regulator in the activation of the WNT1 and WNT/beta-catenin signaling pathways. Notably, it exhibited a strong positive correlation with the presence of Fusobacteria, which are also implicated in modulating these pathways. In addition, the glutaryl CoA degradation and p-cymene degradation pathways demonstrated a strong positive association with the expression of the Ahcy, Eis2s2, Hsp90ab1, Psma7, Lbr, Rpl7l1, Cse1l, Cbx3, Ncl, Hspd1, Tpx2, and Top2a genes (r > 0.65), suggesting their potential involvement in the regulation and metabolic integration of these pathways at the transcriptional level.