SPP1 induces idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and NSCLC progression via the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway.

Background: The prevalence of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is notably elevated in individuals diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1), known for its involvement in diverse physiological processes, including oncogenesis and organ fibrosis, has an ambiguous role at the intersection of IPF and NSCLC. Our study sought to elucidate the function of SPP1 within the pathogenesis of IPF and its subsequent impact on NSCLC progression.

Methods: Four GEO datasets was analyzed for common differential genes and TCGA database was used to analyze the prognosis. The immune infiltration was analyzed by TIMER database. SPP1 expression was examined in human lung tissues, the IPF fibroblasts and the BLM-induced mouse lung fibrosis model. Combined with SPP1 gene gain- and loss-of-function, qRT-PCR, Western blot, EdU and CCK-8 experiments were performed to evaluate the effects and mechanisms of SPP1 in IPF progression. Effect of SPP1 on NSCLC was detected by co-cultured IPF fibroblasts and NSCLC cells.

Results: Through bioinformatics analysis, we observed a significant overexpression of SPP1 in both IPF and NSCLC patient datasets, correlating with enhanced immune infiltration of cancer-associated fibroblasts in NSCLC. Elevated levels of SPP1 were detected in lung tissue samples from IPF patients and bleomycin-induced mouse models, with partial colocalization observed with α-smooth muscle actin. Knockdown of SPP1 inhibits TGF-β1-induced differentiation of fibroblasts to myofibroblasts and the proliferation of IPF fibroblasts. Conversely, SPP1 overexpression promoted IPF fibroblast proliferation via PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. Furthermore, IPF fibroblasts promoted NSCLC cell proliferation and activated the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway; these effects were attenuated by SPP1 knockdown in IPF fibroblasts.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that SPP1 functions as a molecule promoting both fibrosis and tumorigenesis, positioning it as a prospective therapeutic target for managing the co-occurrence of IPF and NSCLC.