The osteopontin-CD44 axis in hepatic cancer stem cells regulates IFN signaling and HCV replication.

Osteopontin (OPN) is involved in cell proliferation, migration, inflammation, and tumor progression in various tissues. OPN induces stemness by interacting with CD44, but the functional relevance of OPN-mediated interferon (IFN) signaling and hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication in stem cell populations remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the effect of OPN on HCV replication and IFN signaling in cancer stem cells (CSCs) positive for epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) and CD44. We show that the EpCAM/CD44 CSCs show marked HCV replication when compared to EpCAM/CD44 cells. In addition, OPN significantly enhances this HCV replication in EpCAM/CD44 CSCs and markedly suppresses IFN-stimulated gene expression. The GSK-3β inhibitor BIO increases the EpCAM/CD44 CSC population and OPN expression and impairs IFN signaling via STAT1 degradation. Taken together, our data suggest that OPN enhances HCV replication in the EpCAM/CD44 CSCs, while it also negatively regulates the IFN signaling pathway via inhibition of STAT1 phosphorylation and degradation. Therefore, OPN may represent a novel therapeutic target for treating HCV-related hepatocellular carcinoma.