{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,16]],"date-time":"2026-07-16T02:03:14Z","timestamp":1784167394813,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"14","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,15]],"date-time":"2026-07-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1784073600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Cancers"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Colorectal cancer commonly develops through an adenoma\u2013carcinoma sequence, but the immune alterations accompanying this transition remain incompletely understood. Because we previously observed reduced \u03b3\u03b4 T cells, increased apoptosis, and frequent microsporidia infection in colorectal cancer, we investigated whether similar changes are already present in colonic adenomas. Methods: We studied 55 subjects, including 30 patients with colonic adenomas, 10 with colorectal cancer, and 15 healthy controls. Peripheral blood T-cell subsets and apoptosis were assessed by flow cytometry, tissue expression of IL-7, CD127, and CD132 was analyzed by RT-PCR, and microsporidia were detected in colonic tissues by immunofluorescence and real-time PCR. Results: \u03b3\u03b4 T cells were progressively reduced in colonic adenomas and further decreased in colorectal cancer, while apoptosis of both \u03b1\u03b2 and \u03b3\u03b4 T cells increased compared with healthy subjects. Tissue expression of CD132 was significantly downregulated in adenomas and colorectal cancer, whereas IL-7 expression was increased, particularly in adenomatous tissue, consistent with a compensatory mechanism attempting to preserve T-cell homeostasis despite reduced CD132 expression. Microsporidia prevalence rose from healthy controls to patients with colonic adenomas and colorectal cancer, and CD132 expression was more markedly reduced in microsporidia-positive colonic adenoma and cancer tissues. Conclusions: These findings indicate that altered IL-2 receptor-related signaling, \u03b3\u03b4 T-cell depletion, and increased apoptosis are already present at the adenoma stage and are associated with microsporidial infection. This pattern suggests a potential link between parasitic colonization and local immune dysfunction during colorectal tumorigenesis.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/cancers18142273","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,16]],"date-time":"2026-07-16T01:05:07Z","timestamp":1784163907000},"page":"2273","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Downregulation of CD132 in Colonic Adenomas and Cancer Is Associated with \u03b3\u03b4 T-Cell Loss, Increased Apoptosis, and Microsporidia Infection"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3790-3054","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Juan Carlos","family":"Andreu-Ballester","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research in the Valencian Region (FISABIO\u2014Public Health), 46020 Valencia, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cirilo","family":"Amor\u00f3s-Garc\u00eda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Digestive Department, Arnau de Vilanova Hospital, 46015 Valencia, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0794-6937","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Salvador","family":"Benlloch-P\u00e9rez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Digestive Department, Arnau de Vilanova Hospital, 46015 Valencia, Spain"},{"name":"Universidad Cardenal Herrera CEU, CEU Universities, 46115 Valencia, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0607-1630","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lorena","family":"Galindo-Regal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Research Department, Arnau de Vilanova University Hospital, 46015 Valencia, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carlos","family":"Garc\u00eda-Ballesteros","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Research Department, Arnau de Vilanova University Hospital, 46015 Valencia, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Natalia","family":"Uribe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of General and Digestive Surgery, Arnau de Vilanova University Hospital, 46015 Valencia, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ana","family":"Jim\u00e9nez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pathology Department, Arnau de Vilanova University Hospital, 46015 Valencia, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Francisca","family":"L\u00f3pez-Chuli\u00e1","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hemathology Department, Arnau de Vilanova University Hospital, 46015 Valencia, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0367-007X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fernando","family":"Izquierdo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidad CEU San Pablo, CEU Universities, Urbanizaci\u00f3n Montepr\u00edncipe, 28668 Boadilla del Monte, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0059-5019","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Elizabeth","family":"Valdivieso","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidad CEU San Pablo, CEU Universities, Urbanizaci\u00f3n Montepr\u00edncipe, 28668 Boadilla del Monte, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lucianna","family":"Vaccaro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidad CEU San Pablo, CEU Universities, Urbanizaci\u00f3n Montepr\u00edncipe, 28668 Boadilla del Monte, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0063-7899","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carmen","family":"del Aguila","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidad CEU San Pablo, CEU Universities, Urbanizaci\u00f3n Montepr\u00edncipe, 28668 Boadilla del Monte, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7948-9889","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carmen","family":"Cu\u00e9llar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Microbiolog\u00eda y Parasitolog\u00eda, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0364-7742","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carolina","family":"Hurtado-Marcos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidad CEU San Pablo, CEU Universities, Urbanizaci\u00f3n Montepr\u00edncipe, 28668 Boadilla del Monte, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"451","article-title":"The polyp-cancer sequence in the large bowel","volume":"67","author":"Morson","year":"1974","journal-title":"Proc. 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