Figure 6 shows three core pathways in the late-stage CRC cells. The first pathway starts with receptor GRID2, which also appears in mid-stage CRC cells, and transmits the signal to TF WDR4 to upregulate target gene LIG3. LIG3 has been investigated in studies concerning DNA repair (Murray et al., 2011; Hu et al., 2018). DNA damage and repair are double-edged swords in cancer. DNA damage, coupled with error-prone repair, could drive cancer progression by promoting genomic or genetic instability (Doksani and De Lange, 2016; Hu et al., 2018). Here, LIG3 is linked to colorectal carcinoma.