James E Trosko Author

Short Communication Open Access

What roles do colon stem cells and gap junctions play in the left and right location of origin of colorectal cancers?

Author(s):

James E Trosko and Heinz‐Josef Lenz

This Commentary examines an important clinical observation that right-sided colorectal cancers appear less treatable than the left-sided cancers. The concepts of the initiation/ promotion/progression /process, the stem cell hypothesis, the role gap junctional intercellular communication, cancer cells lacking GJIC either because of the non-expression of connexin genes or of non-functional gap junction proteins and the role of the microbiome in promoting initiated colon stem cells to divide symmetrically or asymmetrically are examined to find an explanation. It has been speculated that embryonic-like lesions in the ascending colon are initiated stem cells, promoted via symmetrical cell division, while the polyp-type lesions in the descending colon are initiated stem cells stimulated to di... view more»

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