下调和上调
癌症研究
癌变
干细胞
CD44细胞
生物
胚胎干细胞
细胞生长
转录因子
癌症干细胞
蛋白激酶B
PI3K/AKT/mTOR通路
MAPK/ERK通路
癌症
细胞
信号转导
细胞生物学
基因
遗传学
生物化学
作者
Hao Wu,Zhao-Xing Li,Kang Fang,Ziying Zhao,Ming-Chuang Sun,Anqi Feng,Zhuyun Leng,Zehua Zhang,Yuan Chu,Li Zhang,Tao Chen,Mei‐Dong Xu
标识
DOI:10.1038/s41420-024-01864-0
摘要
Abstract Substantial evidence attests to the pivotal role of cancer stem cells (CSC) in both tumorigenesis and drug resistance. A member of the forkhead box (FOX) family, FOXC1, assumes significance in embryonic development and organogenesis. Furthermore, FOXC1 functions as an overexpressed transcription factor in various tumors, fostering proliferation, enhancing migratory capabilities, and promoting drug resistance, while maintaining stem-cell-like properties. Despite these implications, scant attention has been devoted to its role in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Our investigation revealed a pronounced upregulation of FOXC1 expression in ESCC, correlating with a poor prognosis. The downregulation of FOXC1 demonstrated inhibitory effects on ESCC tumorigenesis, proliferation, and tolerance to chemotherapeutic agents, concurrently reducing the levels of stemness-related markers CD133 and CD44. Further studies validated that FOXC1 induces ESCC stemness by transactivating CBX7 and IGF-1R. Additionally, IGF-1 activated the PI3K/AKT/NF-κB and MEK/ERK/NF-κB pathways through its binding to IGF-1R, thereby augmenting FOXC1 expression. Conversely, suppressing FOXC1 impeded ESCC stemness induced by IGF-1. The presence of a positive feedback loop, denoted by IGF-1-FOXC1-IGF-1R, suggests the potential of FOXC1 as a prognostic biomarker for ESCC. Taken together, targeting the IGF-1-FOXC1-IGF-1R axis emerges as a promising approach for anti-CSC therapy in ESCC.
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