Multi-platform-based characterization of ferroptosis in human colorectal cancer

Ferroptosis is a type of programmed cell death potentially playing an important role in colorectal cancer (CRC) development. However, comprehensive investigations toward ferroptosis in human CRC are lacking. Here, we performed multiple investigations on cancer and para-cancer tissues. We demonstrated that the changes of structural variation and chromatin accessibility in CRC were more associated with the altered mRNA expression of ferroptosis-related genes (FRGs), and the expression of CDKN2A, GPX4, ALOXE3, and LINC00336 was related to the overall survival rates. Subsequently, we revealed that CYBB and YAP1 were potentially the hub genes, and that HSF1 and STAT2 were potentially FRGs’ upstream transcription factors. Finally, we depicted the crosstalk between ferroptosis and necrosis, autophagy, and apoptosis. Based on multi-dimensional analyses, we characterized ferroptosis, probable core genes, and the upstream regulators in human CRC. The findings here may improve our understanding of ferroptosis in CRC and provide new opportunities for clinical diagnosis and treatment.