MMP2 and colorectal cancer: Based on the heat map of differential expression gene analysis, the core genes NFKB1, TNF, CD4, IL1B, IFNG, MMP9, MMP2, IL6, and AKT1 were upregulated in colorectal cancer tumor samples, while SLC22A5, PHLPP2, PEX26, UGP2, APPL2, GLTP, BEST4, and CLEC3B were upregulated in normal tissue samples (Figure 9B).