ASNS and colorectal carcinoma: Analysis of data from TCGA COAD showed that ASNS mRNA expression in human colorectal adenocarcinoma is higher than in normal-adjacent colon tissues (Fig. 1A). To gain insight into the roles of ASNS in CRC cell proliferation, we used isogenic cells that differ only by ASNS expression; human HCT116 CRC cells are wild-type for ASNS, and carry a KRAS (G13D) mutation [25, 26].