CHI3L1 and colorectal carcinoma: To explore the role of YKL-40 in CRC growth and progression, two hCRC cell lines with different KRAS and p53 mutational status, HCT116 and Caco2, were subjected to YKL-40 knockdown (YKL-40.KD), re-expression (YKL-40.KD rescued), and overexpression (YKL-40.OE).