{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T13:58:27Z","timestamp":1785419907973,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":64,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"13","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,5]],"date-time":"2026-07-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1783209600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Medical University of Silesia","award":["Statutory funds"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Statutory funds"]}]},{"award":["Statutory funds"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Statutory funds"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/005k7hp45","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100012190","name":"Ministry of Science and Higher Education","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["SKN\/SP\/570127\/2023"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["SKN\/SP\/570127\/2023"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100012190","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100012190","name":"Ministry of Science and Higher Education","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["SKN\/SP\/496435\/2021"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["SKN\/SP\/496435\/2021"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100012190","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["SKN\/SP\/570127\/2023"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["SKN\/SP\/570127\/2023"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/05dwvd537","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["SKN\/SP\/496435\/2021"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["SKN\/SP\/496435\/2021"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/05dwvd537","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Silesian Voivodeship","award":["Metropolitan Fund for Science Support"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Metropolitan Fund for Science Support"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) influences extracellular matrix remodeling. We investigated its clinical, prognostic, and immunomodulatory significance in colorectal cancer (CRC). COMP was quantified via ELISA in 107 paired CRC and normal tissues. Expression was correlated with clinicopathological features, mutational profiles, microsatellite instability (MSI), tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), immune checkpoints, and multiplex cytokine networks. For transcriptomic validation, the FieldEffectCrc dataset was used for Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) CRC cohort for survival analysis. COMP was significantly upregulated in CRC tissues (p &lt; 0.001) and correlated with advanced T, N, and overall pathological stages (all p &lt; 0.05, tau = 0.18, 0.21, and 0.23, respectively). High COMP expression was linked to restricted immune infiltration (reduced stromal TILs, p &lt; 0.05, tau = \u22120.23), elevated levels in microsatellite stable (MSS) compared to MSI tumors (p &lt; 0.01), and correlated positively with immune exhaustion markers (T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain containing-3 (TIM-3), galectin-9 (GAL9), sialic acid-binding Ig-like lectin 9 (SIGLEC9)). Transcriptomic data linked high COMP to worse disease-specific and progression-free survival, and enrichment in pro-tumorigenic pathways (epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, angiogenesis, IL-6 signaling). COMP upregulation defines an immunosuppressive microenvironment in CRC, particularly in MSS tumors. It represents an important prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target for overcoming immunotherapy resistance.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms27136032","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,6]],"date-time":"2026-07-06T13:43:14Z","timestamp":1783345394000},"page":"6032","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Cartilage Oligomeric Matrix Protein (COMP) Correlates with Disease Progression, Selected Immune Checkpoint Molecules and SIGLEC9 in Colorectal Cancer"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"27","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-0323-4357","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Piotr","family":"Liman\u00f3wka","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, 41-808 Zabrze, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anna","family":"Kot","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, 41-808 Zabrze, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-6909-7523","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Wiktor","family":"Wagner","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, 41-808 Zabrze, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"B\u0142a\u017cej","family":"Ochman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, 41-808 Zabrze, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sylwia","family":"Mielcarska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, 41-808 Zabrze, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Agnieszka","family":"Kula","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oncological Surgery, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, 41-808 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Miriam","family":"Dawidowicz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oncological Surgery, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, 41-808 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9110-2314","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dorota","family":"Hudy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, 41-808 Zabrze, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Monika","family":"Szrot","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of General and Bariatric Surgery and Emergency Medicine in Zabrze, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, 41-800 Zabrze, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jerzy","family":"Piecuch","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of General and Bariatric Surgery and Emergency Medicine in Zabrze, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, 41-800 Zabrze, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8216-4495","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Zenon","family":"Czuba","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, 41-808 Zabrze, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"El\u017cbieta","family":"\u015awi\u0119tochowska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, 41-808 Zabrze, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6320-0224","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Iwona","family":"Gisterek-Grocholska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy, Medical University of Silesia, 40-615 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0410-8604","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dariusz","family":"Waniczek","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oncological Surgery, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, 41-808 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"(2026, March 20). 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