Interplay between tumor cells and immune cells of the colorectal cancer tumor microenvironment: Wnt/β-catenin pathway
Aisha Saleh Janeeh, Khuloud Bajbouj, Bilal Rah, Eman Abu‐Gharbieh, Mawieh Hamad
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is currently ranked as the third most frequent human cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Macrophages and immune cell subsets infiltrate the tumor microenvironment (TME) and modulate several cellular events and metabolic processes in CRC. Therefore, CRC-TME-infilitrating macrophages are thought to play a significant role in CRC progression, and could hence be potential therapeutic targets in CRC. Several lines of evidence suggest that the Wingless/Integrated (WNTs) family of signaling proteins plays a crucial role in CRC development and progression. Numerous studies have established that Wnt pathway signaling is involved in CRC-TME interaction; CRC-immune cell interaction in particular. Mounting experimental evidence point to the possibility that the TME in CRC can reciprocally modulate the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Lastly, several studies have elaborated on the effect of drugs that disrupt the Wnt/β-catenin pathway as means of hindering CRC growth and progression. In this review, we discuss the multifaceted role of Wnt/β-catenin pathway in CRC and its TME as well as CRC-TME interactions. We also elaborate on the potential therapeutic utility of Wnt/β-catenin pathway-related targets in CRC.