Hunan Provincial Cancer Hospital and Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Xiangya Medical School, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan.
NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis (Central South University) and Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan.
Carcinogenesis. 2020 Jul 10;41(6):723-733. doi: 10.1093/carcin/bgz180.
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is notorious for its aggressiveness and high metastatic potential. NPC patients with distant metastasis have a particularly poor prognosis; however, evaluating metastatic potential by expression profiles of primary tumors is challenging. This study aimed to investigate the association between activation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling and NPC metastasis and the underlying mechanisms. We found an association between EGFR protein overexpression and intense EGFR immunostaining in NPC samples with advanced tumor node metastasis stage, clinical stage, and distant metastasis in NPC patients. Exogenous EGF stimulates NPC mobility and invasiveness in vitro. Activation of EGFR signaling prompted PKM2 translocation to the nucleus. Silencing either EGFR or PKM2 attenuates NPC cell aggressiveness in vitro and in vivo. Blocking EGFR signaling with cetuximab suppressed NPC cell invasiveness in vitro and metastatic potential in vivo. Comprehensive analyses of transcriptome profiles indicated that the EGFR-PKM2 axis activates a number of novel metastasis promoters, including F3, FOSL1, EPHA2, ANTXR2, and AKR1C2. Finally, we found that the metastasis-promoting function of the EGFR-PKM2 axis is dependent on nuclear PKM2 regulation of the transcription of metastasis-related genes, including FOSL1 and ANTXR2. Our study indicates that EGFR-PKM2 signaling promotes NPC cell invasion and metastasis through induction of FOSL1 and ANTXR2 and identifies EGFR as a promising biomarker for predicting the risk of distant metastasis.
鼻咽癌(NPC)以其侵袭性和高转移潜能而臭名昭著。患有远处转移的 NPC 患者预后尤其差;然而,通过原发肿瘤的表达谱来评估转移潜能具有挑战性。本研究旨在探讨表皮生长因子受体(EGFR)信号的激活与 NPC 转移之间的关联及其潜在机制。我们发现,在 NPC 样本中,EGFR 蛋白过表达与晚期肿瘤淋巴结转移分期、临床分期和 NPC 患者的远处转移之间存在关联。外源性 EGF 刺激 NPC 在体外的迁移和侵袭能力。EGFR 信号的激活促使 PKM2 易位到细胞核。沉默 EGFR 或 PKM2 均可减弱 NPC 细胞在体外和体内的侵袭性。用西妥昔单抗阻断 EGFR 信号可抑制 NPC 细胞在体外的侵袭性和体内的转移潜能。对转录组谱的综合分析表明,EGFR-PKM2 轴激活了许多新的转移促进因子,包括 F3、FOSL1、EPHA2、ANTXR2 和 AKR1C2。最后,我们发现 EGFR-PKM2 轴的促转移功能依赖于核 PKM2 对包括 FOSL1 和 ANTXR2 在内的转移相关基因转录的调控。本研究表明,EGFR-PKM2 信号通过诱导 FOSL1 和 ANTXR2 促进 NPC 细胞的侵袭和转移,并确定 EGFR 可作为预测远处转移风险的有前途的生物标志物。
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