ACTA2 and cancer: Looking at mRNA expression of CAFs markers (Figures 2B–2G), all six samples were positive for IL-6, ACTA2, PDGFRA, VIM, FAP, and TGFB1. HT-29, which are epithelial cancer cells, express none of these markers except TGFB1, which is expressed by most cell types under homeostasis and upregulated in cancer cells.50