Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39172168›Full record

ArticleCellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS2024

Endothelial cell heterogeneity in colorectal cancer: tip cells drive angiogenesis.

Zhenyu Xie, Liaoran Niu, Kunli Du, Ling Chen, Gaozan Zheng, Songchen Dai, Hanjun Dan, Lili Duan, Xinyu Dou, Fan Feng and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

9 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Selective Targeting of Tip Endothelial Cells as a Therapeutic Strategy for Tumor Angiogenesis.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026
    Article
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Review
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

12 authors.

Zhenyu Xie *Department of Digestive Surgery, Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Fourth Military Medical University, 169 Changle Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710032, China.
Liaoran Niu *Department of Digestive Surgery, Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Fourth Military Medical University, 169 Changle Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710032, China.
Kunli Du *Department of Digestive Surgery, Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Fourth Military Medical University, 169 Changle Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710032, China.
Ling ChenDepartment of Pathology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710032, China.
Gaozan ZhengDepartment of Digestive Surgery, Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Fourth Military Medical University, 169 Changle Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710032, China.
Songchen DaiDepartment of Surgical Oncology and General Surgery, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110016, China.
Hanjun DanDepartment of Digestive Surgery, Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Fourth Military Medical University, 169 Changle Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710032, China.
Lili DuanDepartment of Digestive Surgery, Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Fourth Military Medical University, 169 Changle Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710032, China.
Xinyu DouXi'an Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710021, China.
Fan FengDepartment of Digestive Surgery, Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Fourth Military Medical University, 169 Changle Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710032, China. surgeonfengfan@163.com.
Jian ZhangState Key Laboratory of Holistic Integrative Management of Gastrointestinal Cancers, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Fourth Military Medical University, 169 Changle Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710032, China. biozhangj@fmmu.edu.cn.
Jianyong ZhengDepartment of Digestive Surgery, Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Fourth Military Medical University, 169 Changle Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710032, China. zhjy68@163.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9085-3696

Funding

Key R&D Plan of Shaanxi Province 2022SF-603National Natural Science Foundation of China 82072655Program for Jiangsu Provincial Excellent Scientific and Technological Innovation Team 2023-CX-TD-67
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This study aims to uncover the heterogeneity of endothelial cells (ECs) in colorectal cancer (CRC) and their crucial role in angiogenesis, with a special focus on tip cells. Using single-cell RNA sequencing to profile ECs, our data suggests that CRC ECs predominantly exhibit enhanced angiogenesis and decreased antigen presentation, a shift in phenotype largely steered by tip cells. We also observed that an increase in the density and proportion of tip cells correlates with CRC occurrence, progression, and poorer patient prognosis. Furthermore, we identified endothelial cell-specific molecule 1 (ESM1), specifically expressed in tip cells, sustains a VEGFA-KDR-ESM1 positive feedback loop, promoting angiogenesis and CRC proliferation and migration. We also found the enrichment of KDR in tip cells and spotlight a unique long-tail effect in VEGFA expression: while VEGFA is primarily expressed by epithelial cells, the highest level of VEGFA expression is found in individual myeloid cells. Moreover, we observed that effective PD-1 blockade immunotherapy significantly reduced tip cells, disrupting the VEGFA-KDR-ESM1 positive feedback loop in the process. Our investigation into the heterogeneity of ECs in CRC at a single-cell level offers important insights that may contribute to the development of more effective immunotherapies targeting tip cells in CRC.

Indexed as

Colorectal NeoplasmsEndothelial CellsNeovascularization, PathologicVascular Endothelial Growth Factor AAngiogenesisAnimalsCell Line, TumorCell MovementCell ProliferationGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansMiceSingle-Cell AnalysisVascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2KDR protein, humanVascular Endothelial Growth Factor AVascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2VEGFA protein, humanAngiogenesisColorectal cancerEndothelial cellESM1Single-cell RNA sequencingTip cell

Identifiers

PMID39172168
PMCPMC11342913

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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 Socratic graph.