Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide, with complex molecular heterogeneity that complicates diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment selection. While protein-coding genes have been extensively studied in CRC, the roles of non-coding RNAs — particularly lncRNAs and circRNAs — in CRC pathogenesis are less well understood. Competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks, in which lncRNAs and circRNAs sequester miRNAs away from their mRNA targets through shared miRNA response elements (MREs), represent an important layer of post-transcriptional regulation that has been implicated in cancer progression, metastasis, and drug resistance. However, a systematic characterisation of the ceRNA landscape in CRC using total RNA-seq had been lacking.
Figure 1. Study design for whole transcriptome sequencing-based ceRNA network analysis in colorectal cancer.
Total RNA was extracted from 10 paired CRC and adjacent normal tissues. Ribosomal RNA was depleted (Ribo-off kit), and strand-specific libraries were sequenced on Illumina NovaSeq 6000 (PE150). Bioinformatic analysis identified differentially expressed mRNAs, lncRNAs, circRNAs, and miRNAs, which were used to construct mRNA-miRNA-lncRNA and mRNA-miRNA-circRNA ceRNA networks. Key network hubs were validated using TCGA-COAD data and in vitro experiments. Adapted from Zhang et al. 2024 (CC BY 4.0).
Whole transcriptome sequencing approach: The authors collected 10 paired CRC tumour and adjacent normal tissue samples from patients undergoing surgical resection. Total RNA was extracted and subjected to ribosomal RNA depletion using a Ribo-off rRNA Depletion Kit, which removes both cytoplasmic and mitochondrial rRNAs. Strand-specific RNA-seq libraries were constructed and sequenced on the Illumina NovaSeq 6000 platform with PE150 read length, generating approximately 60–80 million reads per sample. Bioinformatic analysis was performed using a multi-layer pipeline: (1) alignment to the human reference genome (GRCh38) using STAR; (2) gene-level quantification with featureCounts for mRNAs and lncRNAs; (3) circRNA detection and quantification using CIRI2 and CIRCexplorer2; (4) miRNA quantification from the same total RNA-seq data; (5) differential expression analysis using DESeq2 with FDR correction; (6) ceRNA network construction using miRanda and RNAhybrid for MRE prediction, with network visualisation in Cytoscape. Key findings were validated using TCGA-COAD and GEO public datasets (GSE50760, GSE90652), and in vitro functional experiments (KPNA2 knockdown in HCT116 and RKO cell lines).
Figure 2. Differential expression and ceRNA network analysis results.
Total RNA-seq identified thousands of differentially expressed RNAs spanning all major biotypes, including mRNAs, lncRNAs, circRNAs, and miRNAs. ceRNA networks were constructed based on shared miRNA response elements. Validation using TCGA-COAD data and public GEO datasets confirmed the robustness of the identified regulatory interactions. Adapted from Zhang et al. 2024 (CC BY 4.0).
Key findings: (1) Whole transcriptome sequencing identified 2,465 differentially expressed mRNAs (1,236 up-regulated, 1,229 down-regulated), 2,852 differentially expressed lncRNAs (1,498 up, 1,354 down), 1,477 differentially expressed circRNAs (789 up, 688 down), and 77 differentially expressed miRNAs in CRC tissues compared with adjacent normal controls. (2) Functional enrichment analysis revealed that target genes of dysregulated ceRNAs were enriched in pathways related to cell cycle, DNA replication, p53 signalling, PI3K-Akt signalling, and Wnt signalling — all pathways with established roles in colorectal carcinogenesis. (3) The mRNA-miRNA-lncRNA ceRNA network comprised 425 nodes and 875 edges, while the mRNA-miRNA-circRNA network comprised 336 nodes and 702 edges. (4) KPNA2 (karyopherin subunit alpha 2) was identified as a key hub gene in the ceRNA network, and its knockdown in CRC cell lines significantly suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. (5) Validation using TCGA-COAD data confirmed that KPNA2 was significantly overexpressed in CRC and associated with poor prognosis, and that the ceRNA interactions identified from the study's total RNA-seq data were reproducible in this independent cohort. This study demonstrates the power of total RNA-seq for comprehensive transcriptome analysis and its utility in identifying clinically relevant regulatory mechanisms in cancer.

RNA quality and sequencing QC metrics
Transcriptome mapping statistics
Differential gene expression analysis
Volcano plot and expression scatter plot
Hierarchical clustering heatmap
GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis