Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research最新文献

{"title":"m5C-modified circRREB1 promotes lung cancer progression by inducing mitophagy.","authors":"Dunyu Cai, Xingcai Chen, Haotian Xu, Qingyun Zhao, Xiaodong Zhou, Jiaxi Wu, Shengyi Yuan, Yihong Gao, Deqing Li, Ruirui Zhang, Wenyi Peng, Gang Li, Aruo Nan","doi":"10.1186/s13046-025-03460-1","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13046-025-03460-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Lung cancer is the most common malignant tumour and the leading cause of cancer-related death. circular RNAs (circRNAs) have important biological functions and are closely related to tumour development. The 5-methylcytosine (m5C) modification can regulate the molecular fate of RNA molecules and thus influence disease development.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>High-throughput RNA sequencing was used to construct the differential expression profiles of circRNAs. The m5C modification of circRREB1 was explored through methylated RNA immunoprecipitation (MeRIP) and crosslinking-immunoprecipitation (CLIP). RNA stability experiments, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and nuclear-cytoplasmic fractionation experiments were performed to explore the effects of the m5C modification on circRREB1. A system for the silencing and overexpression of circRREB1 was established, and in vitro and in vivo experiments were conducted to study the biological functions of circRREB1. Tagged RNA affinity purification (TRAP), RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), and coimmunoprecipitation (Co-IP) experiments were conducted to reveal the molecular mechanisms of circRREB1.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In this study, we found that circRREB1 is highly expressed in lung cancer tissues and cells and that patients with high circRREB1 expression have a poor prognosis. We discovered that circRREB1 undergoes the m5C modification mediated by the methyltransferase NSUN2. This modification facilitates its nuclear export via the m5C reader ALYREF. Functional studies demonstrated that circRREB1 promotes lung cancer progression both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, circRREB1 directly binds to HSPA8 and stabilizes it by inhibiting ubiquitin-dependent degradation, thereby inducing mitophagy through the HSPA8/PINK1/Parkin signalling axis and ultimately promoting the development of lung cancer.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study revealed the presence of m5C modifications on circRREB1 and showed that m5C-modified circRREB1 can induce mitophagy, ultimately promoting lung cancer. These findings provide not only a theoretical basis for further exploration of the mechanisms underlying lung cancer development but also potential targets for lung cancer therapy.</p>","PeriodicalId":50199,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research","volume":"44 1","pages":"203"},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12257754/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144627634","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Acute degradation of nucleolin reveals its novel functions in cell cycle progression and cell division in triple negative breast cancer.","authors":"Joseph Mills, Anna Tessari, Vollter Anastas, Damu Sunilkumar, Nastaran Samadi Rad, Saranya Lamba, Ilaria Cosentini, Ashley Reers, Zirui Zhu, Wayne O Miles, Vincenzo Coppola, Emanuele Cocucci, Thomas J Magliery, Heather Shive, Alexander E Davies, Lara Rizzotto, Carlo M Croce, Dario Palmieri","doi":"10.1186/s13046-025-03401-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13046-025-03401-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Nucleoli are large nuclear sub-compartments where vital processes, such as ribosome assembly, take place. Most nucleolar proteins are essential; thus, their abrogation cannot be achieved through conventional approaches. This technical obstacle has limited our understanding of the biological functions of nucleolar proteins in cell homeostasis and cancer pathogenesis.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We applied the Auxin Inducible Degron (AID) proteolytic system, paired with CRISPR/Cas9 knock-in gene-editing, to obtain an unprecedented characterization of the biological activities of Nucleolin (NCL), one of the most abundant nucleolar proteins, in Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) cells. Then, we combined live-cell imaging, RNA-sequencing, and quantitative proteomics, to characterize the impact of NCL acute abrogation on the behavior of TNBC cells. Finally, we used in silico analyses to validate NCL molecular role in TNBC patients.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Acute abrogation of endogenous NCL impacted both the transcriptome and the proteome of TNBC cells, particularly affecting critical players involved in ribosome biogenesis and in cell cycle progression. Unexpectedly, NCL depletion limited cancer cell ability to effectively complete cytokinesis, ultimately leading to the accumulation of bi-nucleated cells. In silico analyses confirmed that the levels of regulators of cell cycle progression and chromosome segregation correlated with NCL abundance in TNBC patients. Finally, NCL degradation enhanced the activity of pharmaceutical inhibitors of cellular mitosis, such as the Anaphase Promoting Complex inhibitor APCin.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our findings indicate a novel role for NCL in supporting the completion of the cell division in TNBC models, and that its abrogation could enhance the therapeutic activity of mitotic-progression inhibitors.</p>","PeriodicalId":50199,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research","volume":"44 1","pages":"204"},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12257848/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144627633","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"In-depth assessment of BRAF, NRAS, KRAS, EGFR, and PIK3CA mutations on cell-free DNA in the blood of melanoma patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibition.","authors":"Isabel Heidrich, Charlotte Rautmann, Cedric Ly, Robin Khatri, Julian Kött, Glenn Geidel, Alessandra Rünger, Antje Andreas, Inga Hansen-Abeck, Finn Abeck, Anne Menz, Stefan Bonn, Stefan W Schneider, Daniel J Smit, Christoffer Gebhardt, Klaus Pantel","doi":"10.1186/s13046-025-03457-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13046-025-03457-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) holds promise for guiding immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy and stratifying responders from non-responders. While tumor-informed ctDNA detection approaches are sensitive and mutation-inclusive, they require tumor tissue, which limits applicability in real-world settings. Conversely, tumor-agnostic methods often have limited genomic coverage. In this study, we evaluated a tumor-agnostic, broad-panel ctDNA assay in patients with advanced melanoma treated with ICI.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a prospective analysis of 241 longitudinal samples from 39 patients with unresectable stage III/IV melanoma using a SYSMEX targeted NGS panel covering 1,114 COSMIC mutations. Plasma samples were collected at baseline and during ICI therapy. The assay's sensitivity reached seven mutant molecules, corresponding to a 0.07% mutation allele frequency (MAF). ctDNA profiles were compared with matched tumor tissue and correlated with clinical features and survival.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>At baseline, ctDNA was detected in 64.5% of patients. Common mutations included BRAF^V600E (43.8%) and NRAS^G12D (36.4%), followed by KRAS, EGFR, and PIK3CA variants. Overall tissue-plasma concordance was 51.6%, with more extended biopsy-plasma intervals associated with discordance (p = 0.0105). Notably, 12.2% of cases exhibited partial concordance, characterized by shared mutations and additional plasma-only alterations, underscoring the complementary value of blood-based profiling. Persistent or re-emerging ctDNA positivity post-therapy correlated with shorter progression-free survival (PFS, p = 0.003), while ctDNA-negative patients showed significantly improved outcomes. Patients that remained ctDNA-negative had significantly longer progression-free survival (median not reached) compared to those with persistent ctDNA positivity (median 3 months) or those converting to positive (median 7.5 months; p = 0.0073). Early NRAS and KRAS ctDNA levels strongly predicted poor response (p = 0.0069 and p = 0.028). The prognostic impact extended beyond canonical drivers, as non-hotspot variants also correlated with the outcome. Notably, even low-level ctDNA persistence (5-10 MM/mL) carried adverse prognostic implications (p = 0.0054). Concerning a shorter PFS, ctDNA positivity was also associated with elevated S100 levels (p = 0.047). Organ-specific mutation enrichment (e.g., KRAS^G12D in brain, EGFR^G719A in lymph nodes) suggested possible metastatic tropism.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Broad tumor-agnostic ctDNA analysis effectively identified clinically relevant mutations and predicted outcomes in ICI-treated melanoma patients. This approach enables tissue-independent and real-time ctDNA monitoring and may inform patient selection and therapeutic strategies in future interventional trials.</p>","PeriodicalId":50199,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research","volume":"44 1","pages":"202"},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12255093/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144621062","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"PARP9-PARP13-PARP14 axis tunes colorectal cancer response to radiotherapy.","authors":"Rimvile Prokarenkaite, Karolina Kuodyte, Greta Gudoityte, Elzbieta Budginaite, Daniel Naumovas, Egle Strainiene, Kristijonas Velickevicius, Audrius Dulskas, Ernestas Sileika, Jonas Venius, Virginijus Tunaitis, Augustas Pivoriunas, Vytaute Starkuviene, Vaidotas Stankevicius, Kestutis Suziedelis","doi":"10.1186/s13046-025-03439-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13046-025-03439-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most prevalent cancer worldwide. Despite substantial advancements in CRC therapy in recent years, ionizing radiation (IR) continues to be the predominant treatment for colon malignances. However, it still lacks the precision required for excellent therapeutic outcomes, ultimately resulting in tumor radioresistance. This study seeks to explore the potential of atypical PARPs including PARP9, PARP12, PARP13 and PARP14 as innovative radiosensitizing targets for CRC.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We utilized CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing to knockout the PARP9, PARP12, PARP13 and PARP14 in HT29 and DLD1 cells. The cells were exposed to either a single dose of 6-10 Gy or to fractionated dose of 5 × 2 Gy X-ray radiation cultivating cells in 2D, laminin-rich ECM 3D and multicellular spheroid models. The transcriptomes of nonirradiated and irradiated cells were analyzed using microarrays. Gene set enrichment analysis was conducted to determine the pathways in which PARP13 is engaged. Cell viability was assessed using a clonogenic assay. Gene expression levels in cells and patient samples were quantified using RT-qPCR.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The expression of PARP9, PARP12, PARP13 and PARP14 was particularly elevated in irradiated colorectal cancer HT29 cells in a microenvironment-dependent manner. PARP13 deficiency significantly enhanced the sensitivity of HT29 cells to both single-dose and multifractionated irradiation regimens, resulting in reduced colony formation and spheroidal integrity. Microarray analysis indicated that PARP13 may modulate the expression genes associated with immune response signaling pathways, including members of PARP family. Furthermore, PARP13 loss in HT29 cells markedly impaired the expression of immune response related genes following multifractionated ionizing irradiation. Finally, chemoradiotherapy significantly elevated the expression of PARP9, PARP12, PARP13 and PARP14 in rectal tumors, while having no effect on adjacent normal colon tissues. Elevated pre-treatment PARP9 expression levels and a blunted post-treatment increase in PARP9 and PARP14 expression predicted poor overall survival in rectal cancer patients, while PARP13 emerged as the most significant discriminator between tumor and healthy tissue.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Collectively, the PARP9/13/14 axis is implicated in the response of CRC to radiation treatment in both preclinical and clinical settings, demonstrating the atypical members of the PARP family as attractive targets for neoadjuvant radiotherapy.</p>","PeriodicalId":50199,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research","volume":"44 1","pages":"199"},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12247367/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144621064","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"WDR3 undergoes phase separation to mediate the therapeutic mechanism of Nilotinib against osteosarcoma.","authors":"Minglei Li, Nan Li, Yuying Fan, Zhan Zhang, Long Zhou, Yifan Yu, Man Ni, Mingzi Tan, WanJie Huang, Tong Zhu","doi":"10.1186/s13046-025-03456-x","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13046-025-03456-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Osteosarcoma is highly invasive with a poor prognosis. The phenomenon of liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) can promote the formation of biomolecules and participate in the tumor regulation mechanism. Therefore, mining prognostic markers related to LLPS could allow patients to benefit from targeted therapies.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Microarray analysis was performed to identify LLPS-related biomarkers, followed by the validation of binding interactions between genes and drugs via molecular docking analysis. Functions of key genes were investigated in U2-OS cells and xenograft mice. LLPS of WDR3 were observed by the droplet formation assay and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching. The intrinsically disordered region (IDR) of WDR3 was mutated to disrupt LLPS, which was then rescued by the fusion of hnRNAP1 IDR. Therapeutic mechanism of Nilotinib mediated by LLPS was explored in vitro and in vivo.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Five LLPS-related biomarkers were screened by bioinformatics analyses to predict the osteosarcoma prognosis. These prognostic genes were significantly associated with the immune cell infiltration, tumor immune escape and drug sensitivity. Among them, WDR3 was a prognostic risk factor for osteosarcoma and stably bound to Nilotinib in the molecular docking model. In transfected U2-OS cells and xenograft mice, the downregulation of WDR3 significantly inhibited the malignant progression of osteosarcoma. More importantly, WDR3 could form droplets in U2-OS cells and restore the fluorescence intensity of WDR3 condensates with liquid-like behavior after photobleaching. The mutation in IDR impaired the phase separation ability of WDR3, whereas the fusion with hnRNAP1 IDR rescued the phase separation abnormality caused by WDR3 mutation. Moreover, the treatment with Nilotinib improved the progression of osteosarcoma in vivo and in vitro, while inhibiting the production of WDR3 phase-separated condensates.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>WDR3 phase separation involves in the therapeutic mechanism of Nilotinib against osteosarcoma, and thus may serve as a potent biomarker to ameliorate adverse events following osteosarcoma treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":50199,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research","volume":"44 1","pages":"201"},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12247437/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144621065","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Non-canonical activation of MAPK signaling by the lncRNA ASH1L-AS1-encoded microprotein APPLE through inhibition of PP1/PP2A-mediated ERK1/2 dephosphorylation in hepatocellular carcinoma.","authors":"Lei Zhao, Ke Si, Shenjian Luo, Lantian Zhang, Shuai Mao, Wenliang Zhang","doi":"10.1186/s13046-025-03465-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13046-025-03465-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>MAPK/ERK1/2 signaling is often activated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), yet classical RAS-RAF-MEK mutations are rare, indicating the involvement of non-canonical regulatory mechanisms. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can encode microproteins that play key roles in cancer. LncRNA ASH1L-AS1 has coding potential, but its role in HCC remains unclear. Clarifying its role in MAPK signaling may uncover novel therapeutic targets for HCC.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Translatable lncRNAs associated with HCC were identified by integrating data from the TCGA-LIHC cohort and the TransLnc database. The functional role of ASH1L-AS1 and its encoded microprotein APPLE was explored through in vitro and in vivo assays, such as CCK-8, EdU incorporation, wound healing, Transwell migration and invasion, and xenograft tumor models. Mechanistic investigations were conducted to elucidate molecular mechanisms and identify potential therapeutic strategies, including co-immunoprecipitation, mass spectrometry, ChIP-qPCR, luciferase reporter assays, truncation mutation analysis, immunofluorescence, Western blot, RNA sequencing, drug sensitivity analysis etc. RESULTS: A total of 696 translatable lncRNAs associated with HCC were identified, with their encoded products exhibiting specific subcellular localization. Among them, ASH1L-AS1 stood out due to strong translational evidence and its significant association with disease progression, poor prognosis, immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, and estrogen signaling. We confirmed that ASH1L-AS1 encodes a microprotein, APPLE, which is stably expressed in HCC cells and consistently upregulated in tumor tissues regardless of RAS mutation status. Functionally, APPLE promotes ERK1/2 phosphorylation, activates MAPK signaling, and enhances HCC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and tumor growth-effects reversed by APPLE knockdown or ERK1/2 inhibition. Mechanistically, APPLE binds to ERK1/2 and phosphatases PP1/PP2A, preventing ERK1/2 dephosphorylation and sustaining MAPK pathway activation. Additionally, the transcription factor E2F1 directly binds to the ASH1L-AS1 promoter (- 300 to - 290 bp), upregulating APPLE expression and further amplifying ERK1/2 signaling. Drug sensitivity analysis identified 220 treatment combinations potentially effective against HCC subtypes driven by hyperactivation of the E2F1-ASH1L-AS1/APPLE-ERK1/2 axis.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study characterized APPLE as a novel oncogenic microprotein encoded by lncRNA ASH1L-AS1, uncovering a non-canonical mechanism of MAPK activation in HCC. The identified E2F1-ASH1L-AS1/APPLE-ERK1/2 signaling axis provides new insights into HCC pathogenesis and represents a promising target for precision therapy, though further validation in clinical cohorts and preclinical studies is needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":50199,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research","volume":"44 1","pages":"200"},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12247205/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144621063","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"PHGDH drives 5-FU chemoresistance in colorectal cancer through the Hedgehog signaling.","authors":"Caterina Mancini, Giulia Lori, Gianluca Mattei, Marta Iozzo, Dayana Desideri, Fabio Cianchi, Laura Fortuna, Federico Passagnoli, Daniela Massi, Filippo Ugolini, Luca Messerini, Salvatore Piscuoglio, Antonio Pezone, Francesca Magherini, Alessio Biagioni, Tiziano Lottini, Demetra Zambardino, Giuseppina Ivana Truglio, Elena Petricci, Alberto Magi, Annarosa Arcangeli, Luisa Maresca, Barbara Stecca, Erica Pranzini, Maria Letizia Taddei","doi":"10.1186/s13046-025-03447-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13046-025-03447-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the de novo Serine synthesis pathway (SSP), a highly regulated pathway overexpressed in several tumors. Specifically, PHGDH expression is dynamically regulated during different stages of tumor progression, promoting cancer aggressiveness. Previously, we demonstrated that high Serine (Ser) availability, obtained by increased exogenous uptake or increased PHGDH expression, supports 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) resistance in colorectal cancer (CRC). Beyond its metabolic role in sustaining Ser biosynthesis, different \"non-enzymatic roles\" for PHGDH have recently been identified. The present study aims to investigate non-enzymatic mechanisms through which PHGDH regulates 5-FU response in CRC.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Overexpression and gene silencing approaches have been used to modulate PHGDH expression in human CRC cell lines to investigate the role of this enzyme in 5-FU cellular response. Identified mechanisms have been validated in selected 5-FU resistant cell lines, CRC patients-derived tumor tissue samples, and patients-derived 3D organoids. Transcriptomic analysis was performed on wild-type and PHGDH-silenced cell lines, allowing the identification of pathways responsible for PHGDH-mediated 5-FU resistance. The relevance of identified genes was validated in vitro and in vivo in a CRC xenograft model.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>PHGDH expression is highly variable among CRC tissues and patient-derived 3D organoids. A retrospective analysis of CRC patients highlighted a correlation between PHGDH expression and therapy response. Coherently, the modulation of PHGDH expression by gene silencing/overexpression affects 5-FU sensitivity in CRC cell lines. Transcriptomic analysis on CRC cell lines stably silenced for PHGDH evidenced down regulation in Hedgehog (HH) pathway. Accordingly, in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated that the combined treatment of 5-FU and HH pathway inhibitors strongly hinders CRC cell survival and tumor growth in CRC xenograft models.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>PHGDH sustains 5-FU resistance in CRC by mediating the upregulation of the HH signaling; targeting the here identified PHGDH-HH axis increases 5-FU susceptibility in different CRC models suggesting the 5-FU/HH-inhibitors combinatorial therapeutic strategy as a valid approach to counteract drug resistance in CRC.</p>","PeriodicalId":50199,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research","volume":"44 1","pages":"198"},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12243184/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144610236","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hypoxia-inducible APCDD1L-AS1 promotes osimertinib resistance by stabilising DLST to drive tricarboxylic acid cycle in lung adenocarcinoma.","authors":"Quanli Zhang, Ye Shen, Yuru Che, Lili Jia, Xiang Xiao, Hao Xu, Chi Su, Kemin Sun, Limin Zheng, Jiawen Xu, Jingwen Hu, Chaofeng Zhang, Dihan Zhu, Ming Li","doi":"10.1186/s13046-025-03462-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13046-025-03462-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Acquired resistance is unavoidable in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) treated with osimertinib, however, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here, we report that the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) APCDD1L-AS1 is upregulated in osimertinib-resistant LUAD tissues and cells and is associated with short survival of osimertinib-resistant LUAD patients. Our data showed that APCDD1L-AS1 upregulation is an independent risk factor for overall survival in patients with osimertinib-resistant LUAD. APCDD1L-AS1 knockdown enhanced osimertinib sensitivity both in vitro and in vivo, whereas APCDD1L-AS1 overexpression promoted osimertinib resistance. Mechanistically, APCDD1L-AS1 accelerates the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle by forming complexes and maintaining the stability of dihydrolipoamide S-succinyltransferase (DLST), which inhibits the ubiquitination and degradation of DLST. Moreover, we demonstrate that hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α transcriptionally activates APCDD1L-AS1 by binding to the APCDD1L-AS1 promoter region under hypoxic conditions. Overall, our data confirm that APCDD1L-AS1 is upregulated by hypoxia-induced HIF-1α, which drives the TCA cycle by stabilising DLST to further promote osimertinib resistance in LUAD. Our findings provide new insights into the role of HIF-1α/APCDD1L-AS1/DLST axis-related reprogramming of hypoxia and the TCA balance in conferring osimertinib resistance in LUAD and confirm the therapeutic potential for targeting the APCDD1L-AS1.</p>","PeriodicalId":50199,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research","volume":"44 1","pages":"197"},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12239447/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144602067","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Single-cell transcriptome analysis reveals the malignant characteristics of tumour cells and the immunosuppressive landscape in HER2-positive inflammatory breast cancer.","authors":"Juan Huang, Yongwei Zhu, Wenjing Zeng, Yulong Zhang, Weizhi Xia, Fan Xia, Liyu Liu, Kuansong Wang, Yidi Guan, Taohong Shen, Bingjian Jiang, Lunquan Sun, Ayong Cao, Shouman Wang, Zhi Li","doi":"10.1186/s13046-025-03454-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13046-025-03454-z","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background: &lt;/strong&gt;Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), of which HER2 + is the predominant subtype, is extremely aggressive and difficult to treat. Previous studies have suggested that targeting the tumour microenvironment (TME) may provide new directions for IBC diagnosis and treatment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;In this study, we used single-cell transcriptome technology (scRNA-seq) to investigate the molecular features of the TME of HER2 + IBC patients and performed a comprehensive and detailed comparison of the cellular components and molecular phenotypes of the TME between IBC patients and noninflammatory breast cancer (nIBC) patients to elucidate the cell types that are specifically enriched in the TME of IBC patients, as well as the molecular features that are responsible for the preferential remodelling of the cellular functional state in the TME.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;A total of 15,832 cells, including epithelial cells, endothelial cells, stromal cells, T cells, B cells, antibody secreting cells (ASCs) and myeloid cells, were obtained from tumour tissues from 3 HER2 + IBC patients for scRNA analysis. By comparing the TME with that of HER2 + nIBC patients in a public database, we found that the TME of HER2 + IBC patients had a greater level of lymphocyte infiltration than that of nIBC patients did, and an especially significant enrichment of ASCs (mainly plasmablasts or plasma cells). In the TME of HER2 + IBC patients, tumour-infiltrating T cells exhibited a dual molecular phenotype of high activation and high exhaustion, with tumour-infiltrating B cells preferring the extrafollicular developmental pathway, and tumour-infiltrating myeloid and mesenchymal cells exhibiting a greater immunosuppressive status. By performing a cellular interaction analysis, we revealed that PTN molecules were significantly overexpressed in HER2 + IBC tumour cells and that the cellular interactions mediated by these molecules were strongly correlated with the functional polarisation of the cellular components in the TME. We observed that HER2 + IBC tumour cells have an active interferon response and epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) signalling, and that their malignant process is strongly correlated with the inflammatory response. Moreover, we found that HER2 + IBC tumour-infiltrating B cells promoted necroptosis of endothelial cells through high expression of TNF, thus promoting inflammatory responses.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusion: &lt;/strong&gt;We found a strong correlation between high expression of PTN molecules in HER2 + IBC tumour cells and their highly invasive characteristics and highly immunosuppressive TME. These results suggest that HER2 + IBC tumour cells can promote an inflammatory response by upregulating the expression of TNF molecules in B cells via PTN molecules and that the enhanced inflammatory response in turn promotes tumour progression, a malignant cycle that shapes a more immunosuppressive TME. Therefore, diagnostic ","PeriodicalId":50199,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research","volume":"44 1","pages":"196"},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12235857/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144585523","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genomic profiling of a collection of patient-derived xenografts and cell lines identified ixabepilone as an active drug against chemo-resistant osteosarcoma.","authors":"Maria Cristina Manara, Francesca Bruzzese, Laura Formentini, Lorena Landuzzi, Laura Pazzaglia, Maria Antonella Laginestra, Marianna Carrabotta, Maria Serena Roca, Federica Iannelli, Laura Grumetti, Laura Addi, Alessandro Parra, Camilla Cristalli, Michela Pasello, Alberto Bavelloni, Francesca Carreras, Francesca Ruzzi, Giuseppe Bianchi, Marco Gambarotti, Alberto Righi, Alfredo Budillon, Pier-Luigi Lollini, Katia Scotlandi","doi":"10.1186/s13046-025-03440-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13046-025-03440-5","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50199,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research","volume":"44 1","pages":"195"},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12235892/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144585522","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}