World J Oncol

World Journal of Oncology, ISSN 1920-4531 print, 1920-454X online, Open Access

Article copyright, the authors; Journal compilation copyright, World J Oncol and Elmer Press Inc

Journal website https://wjon.elmerpub.com

Original Article

Volume 17, Number 3, June 2026, pages 322-336

Elevated E2F6 Expression in Colorectal Cancer Tissues and Its Association With Clinicopathological Features

Figures

↓ Figure 1. The tSNE plot of single-cell sequencing data and the expression plot of E2F6.

↓ Figure 2. Spatial transcriptome data gene expression level maps and expression maps of E2F6, CDX2, and KRT20.

↓ Figure 3. Diagrammatic overview of the E2F6 mRNA dataset screening process.

↓ Figure 4. Analysis of E2F6 mRNA Expression in CRC. (a) Forest plot showing the increased E2F6 mRNA levels in CRC compared to non-CRC tissue. (b, c) Results of Egger’s and Begg’s tests for the assessment of publication bias.

↓ Figure 5. Comprehensive evaluation of the association of E2F6 with CRC outcomes. (a) sROC curve. (b) Sensitivity and specificity. (c) Positive and negative likelihood ratios.

↓ Figure 6. Variability of E2F6 mRNA expression across CRC cell lines (CCLE). Horizontal axis: E2F6 mRNA expression (TPM). Vertical axis: CRC cell line name. Each point represents one cell line. Higher TPM indicates higher transcript abundance.

↓ Figure 7. Effects of E2F6 gene deletion on CRC cell line proliferation. Horizontal axis: E2F6 gene effect score for each cell line (CRISPR screen). Vertical axis: CRC cell line name. More negative values indicate reduced proliferation/viability after E2F6 knockout.

↓ Figure 8. The expression level of E2F6 protein in CRC and peritumor colon tissues based on immunohistochemistry. (a) Representative images of E2F6 protein expression in CRC tissues microarray. In panels, the magnifications of the three images of each panel are 10, 100, and 400 respectively. (b, c) Representative images of E2F6 protein expression in CRC tissues. (d, e) Representative images of E2F6 protein expression in peritumor colon tissues. In panels (b)–(e), the magnifications of the three images of each panel are 100, 200, and 400 respectively. (f) E2F6 protein expression. (g) Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve with area under the curve (AUC) of E2F6 protein expression in CRC tissues.

↓ Figure 9. Pearson correlation analysis and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis based on internal sample IHC results. (a) correlation analysis of E2F6 expression value and Ki-67 positivity rate (%). (b) Box plot showing E2F6 expression levels among different macroscopic types (Polypoid, Ulcerative, and Infiltrative). (c) Box plot comparing E2F6 expression levels between low-grade and high-grade tumors. (d) Survival analysis between high and low E2F6 expression groups.

Table

↓ **Table 1.** Clinical Value of E2F6 Expression in CRC
Parameter	E2F6 high expression	E2F6 low expression	P(t)	t/F
CRC: colorectal cancer; dMMR: deficient mismatch repair; MMR: mismatch repair; pMMR: proficient mismatch repair.
Gender			0.029	1.117
Male	64 (56.1%)	55 (64%)
Female	50 (43.9%)	31 (36%)
Age			< 0.001	−2.114
< 60 years	35 (30.7%)	39 (45.3%)
≥ 60 years	79 (69.3%)	47 (54.7%)
Location			0.363	0.573
Colon	63 (55.3%)	44 (51.2%)
Rectum	51 (44.7%)	42 (48.2%)
T stage			0.001	1.555
Stage I–II	8 (7%)	12 (14%)
Stage III–IV	106 (93%)	74 (86%)
Tumor budding			0.026	1.353
BD 1	58 (50.9%)	52 (60.5%)
BD 2–3	56 (49.1%)	34 (39.5%)
Clinical stage			0.113	−0.846
Stage I–II	73 (64%)	50 (58.1%)
Stage III–IV	41 (36%)	36 (41.9%)
Number of lesions			0.988	−0.008
Single lesion	110 (96.5%)	83 (96.5%)
≥ 2 lesions	4 (3.5%)	3 (3.5%)
Macroscopic type			0.036	4.476
Polypoid type	23 (20.2%)	26 (30.2%)
Ulcerative type	84 (76.7%)	57 (66.3%)
Infiltrative type	7 (6.1%)	3 (3.5%)
Histological type			0.114	0.783
Non-special type	89 (78.1%)	71 (82.6%)
Special type	25 (21.9%)	15 (17.4%)
Histological grade			0.009	1.306
Low grade	81 (71.1%)	68 (79.1%)
High grade	33 (28.9%)	18 (20.9%)
Vascular invasion			0.722	0.178
Yes	21 (18.4%)	15 (17.4%)
No	93 (81.6%)	71 (82.6%)
Perineural invasion			0.001	1.649
Yes	16 (14%)	6 (7%)
No	98 (86%)	80 (93%)
Lymph node metastasis			0.023	−1.262
Yes	39 (34.2%)	37 (43%)
No	75 (65.8%)	49 (57%)
MMR status			0.702	−0.192
dMMR	5 (4.4%)	6 (7%)
pMMR	96 (84.2%)	74 (86%)