INTESTINAL CANCERS & DISEASES Intestinal Phospholipid Remodeling Is Required for Dietary-Lipid Uptake and Survival on a High-Fat Diet Scientists demonstrated that the LXR-responsive phospholipid-remodeling enzyme Lpcat3 modulates intestinal fatty acid and cholesterol absorption and is required for survival on a high-fat diet. [Cell Metab] Abstract | Graphical Abstract RNF20 Links Histone H2B Ubiquitylation with Inflammation and Inflammation-Associated Cancer The authors report that the chromatin-targeting E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF20/RNF40, driving histone H2B monoubiquitylation, modulates inflammation and inflammation-associated cancer in mice and humans. [Cell Rep] Full Article | Graphical Abstract IGF/STAT3/NANOG/Slug Signaling Axis Simultaneously Controls Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Stemness Maintenance in Colorectal Cancer The authors identified a small subpopulation of NANOG-positive colorectal cancer cells, and demonstrated that they exhibited characteristics of cancer stem cells and epithelial-mesenchymal transition traits simultaneously. [Stem Cells] Abstract Role of CD44high/CD133high HCT-116 Cells in the Tumorigenesis of Colon Cancer Scientists aimed to explore cell surface biomarkers related to cancer stem cells and their role in the tumorigenesis of colon cancer. [Oncotarget] Full Article miR-143 or miR-145 Overexpression Increases Cetuximab-Mediated Antibody-Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity in Human Colon Cancer Cells miR-143 and miR-145 are downregulated in colon cancer. Researchers tested the effect of restoring these miRNAs on sensitization to cetuximab in mutant KRAS and wild-type KRAS colon cancer cells. [Oncotarget] Full Article Inhibition of HSP90 by AUY922 Preferentially Kills Mutant KRAS Colon Cancer Cells by Activating Bim through ER Stress Researchers report that mutant KRAS colon cancer cells are more susceptible to apoptosis induced by the heat shock protein 90 inhibitor AUY922 than those carrying wild-type KRAS. [Mol Cancer Ther] Abstract Epigenetic Regulation of E-Cadherin Expression by the Histone Demethylase UTX in Colon Cancer Cells Investigators identified ubiquitously transcribed tetratricopeptide repeat on chromosome X (UTX), a histone demethylase involved in demethylating di- or tri-methylated histone 3 lysine 27, as a positive regulator for the expression of E-cadherin in the colon cancer cell line HCT-116. [Med Oncol] Abstract INTESTINAL STEM CELL & ORGANOID RESEARCH Regulation of Stem Cell Proliferation and Cell Fate Specification by Wingless/Wnt Signaling Gradients Enriched at Adult Intestinal Compartment Boundaries Investigators utilized the Drosophila midgut, a powerful model for intestinal stem cell regulation, to elucidate the mechanisms by which Wingless/Wnt regulates intestinal homeostasis and development. [PLoS Genet] Full Article Wildtype Adult Stem Cells, unlike Tumor Cells, Are Resistant to Cellular Damages in Drosophila Scientists found that in the adult Drosophila midgut, intestinal stem cells (ISCs), unlike tumor intestinal cells, are resistant to various cellular damages. Tumor intestinal cells, unlike wildtype ISCs, were easily eliminated by apoptosis. [Dev Biol] Abstract |