NOTCH1 and colorectal carcinoma: To gain insight into potential functions of Notch signalling in CRC cells, initially a panel of 64 CRC cell lines (further details in Additional file 1) was analysed with an antibody raised against the C-terminus of Notch1 for the presence of a Notch fragment corresponding in size to the Notch1 intracellular domain (NICD), which is generated by γ-secretase cleavage of Notch.