Targeting STAT3 Signaling in COL1+ Fibroblasts Controls Colitis-Associated Cancer in Mice.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common disease and has limited treatment options. The importance of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) within the tumor microenvironment (TME) in CRC has been increasingly recognized. However, the role of CAF subsets in CRC is hardly understood and opposing functions of type I (COL1+) vs.

STAT3 activation through IL-6/IL-11 in cancer-associated fibroblasts promotes colorectal tumour development and correlates with poor prognosis.

Objective: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) influence the tumour microenvironment and tumour growth. However, the role of CAFs in colorectal cancer (CRC) development is incompletely understood.

Design: We quantified phosphorylation of STAT3 (pSTAT3) expression in CAFs of human colon cancer tissue using a tissue microarray (TMA) of 375 patients, immunofluorescence staining and digital pathology.

Inhibiting Interleukin 36 Receptor Signaling Reduces Fibrosis in Mice With Chronic Intestinal Inflammation.

Background & Aims: Intestinal fibrosis is a long-term complication in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) that frequently results in functional damage, bowel obstruction, and surgery. Interleukin (IL) 36 is a group of cytokines in the IL1 family with inflammatory effects. We studied the expression of IL36 and its receptor, interleukin 1 receptor like 2 (IL1RL2 or IL36R) in the development of intestinal fibrosis in human tissues and mice.