Interleukin-۱۵ as a Potential Tumor Suppressor in Colorectal Cancer: A Multi-Dataset Expression and Functional Analysis

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality worldwide. Emerging evidence suggests that cytokines play critical roles in tumor progression and immune modulation. Among them, Interleukin-۱۵ (IL-۱۵) is known for its role in activating cytotoxic lymphocytes, but its function in CRC remains poorly defined. We integrated gene expression data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and multiple Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets to analyze IL-۱۵ expression in CRC. Findings were further validated using clinical samples. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with IL-۱۵ were identified and subjected to pathway enrichment analyses. IL-۱۵ expression was significantly downregulated in CRC tissues compared to normal tissues across multiple datasets. Pan-cancer analysis confirmed IL-۱۵ differential expression in several tumor types. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that IL-۱۵-related DEGs were enriched in immune-related pathways. IL-۱۵ expression was positively correlated with cytotoxic immune markers and negatively associated with tumor-promoting genes. Our findings demonstrate that IL-۱۵ is downregulated in CRC and may play a tumor-suppressive role through modulation of anti-tumor immunity. IL-۱۵ represents a potential biomarker and therapeutic target in CRC, warranting further investigation into its mechanistic functions and clinical applications.

کلیدواژه ها:

Colorectal cancer ، Interleukin-۱۵ ، Tumor microenvironment ، Immune regulation ، Gene expression profiling