Month/Year of Graduation

5-2022

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

Department

Bioinformatics

First Advisor

Dhundy Bastola

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide. The pathogenesis of this disease can fall under broad categories; however, the specific precursory mechanism of CRC pathogenesis is still unknown. Dysregulations of the gut microbiome have been identified in the CRC tissue environment. Additionally, CRC tissue gene expression has been observed to differ from that of healthy tissue. Despite these noticeable changes, few studies have directly compared the microorganism composition to the gene expression of CRC tissue. Doing so may identify whether the differentially abundant microorganisms influence the changes in gene expression. The goal of this study is to utilize bioinformatics to identify enriched microorganism populations as well as differentially expressed genes within CRC tissue samples to explore the potential interactions leading to disease pathogenesis. The results of this study found that populations of toxin-producing bacteria, as well as oral bacteria, are present within the CRC tissue environment. Additionally, changes in gene expression suggest that these bacteria may be causing an inflammatory immune response, which could catalyze tumorigenesis.

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