Li Difeng, Gao Zhiqing, Zhang Zhuojun, Chen Han, Tang Ruiming, Zhou Lihuan, Ye Yingmin, Lin Jiaqian, Zhou Ping, Wang Chanjuan, Feng Xiaoli, He Yaoming, Meng Zijie, Zheng Mingzhu, Lu Wenjie, Feng Zhengfu, Wang Lan, Pei Yuanyuan, Yang Jianan, Tao Tianyu, Zhang Xin, Jiang Lili
The Affiliated Qingyuan Hospital (Qingyuan People's Hospital), Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan, China.
Guangzhou Municipal and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Protein Modification and Disease, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Oncogene. 2025 Apr 3. doi: 10.1038/s41388-025-03370-8.
Gastric cancer is among the most prevalent gastrointestinal tumors, with liver metastasis significantly worsening patient outcomes. While hepatic stellate cell activation is crucial in hepatocellular carcinoma progression and liver metastasis, its role in gastric cancer liver metastasis is not well understood. In this study, we identified Suprabasin (SBSN) as a key oncogene driving gastric cancer liver metastasis. SBSN was upregulated in gastric cancer tissues and further elevated in liver metastasis, correlating with poor prognosis. Mechanistically, SBSN promoted proliferation, migration, and invasion of gastric cancer cells by activating the STAT3 signaling pathway, as shown in vitro and in vivo. Using a co-culture model of gastric cancer cells and hepatic stellate cell line LX-2, we found that increased SBSN expression in gastric cancer cells triggered EGF secretion, activating LX-2 cells through the EGF/EGFR axis. Activated LX-2 cells then secreted CCL2, initiating the CCL2/CCR2/JAK2 signaling pathway in gastric cancer cells, facilitating their migration to the liver and promoting colonization and growth. Our findings highlight the prognostic significance of SBSN in gastric cancer and liver metastasis, suggesting it as a potential biomarker for disease progression. The SBSN-mediated EGF/EGFR and CCL2/CCR2/JAK2 signaling axes are critical for LX-2 activation and gastric cancer cell migration, offering a rationale for targeting SBSN in treating gastric cancer liver metastasis.
胃癌是最常见的胃肠道肿瘤之一,肝转移会显著恶化患者的预后。虽然肝星状细胞激活在肝细胞癌进展和肝转移中至关重要,但其在胃癌肝转移中的作用尚不清楚。在本研究中,我们确定了上皮性钙黏蛋白(Suprabasin,SBSN)是驱动胃癌肝转移的关键癌基因。SBSN在胃癌组织中上调,并在肝转移中进一步升高,与预后不良相关。从机制上讲,如体外和体内实验所示,SBSN通过激活STAT3信号通路促进胃癌细胞的增殖、迁移和侵袭。使用胃癌细胞与肝星状细胞系LX - 2的共培养模型,我们发现胃癌细胞中SBSN表达增加会触发表皮生长因子(EGF)分泌,通过EGF/表皮生长因子受体(EGFR)轴激活LX - 2细胞。激活的LX - 2细胞随后分泌趋化因子CCL2,在胃癌细胞中启动CCL2/CC趋化因子受体2(CCR2)/Janus激酶2(JAK2)信号通路,促进其向肝脏迁移,并促进定植和生长。我们的研究结果突出了SBSN在胃癌和肝转移中的预后意义,表明它可能是疾病进展的潜在生物标志物。SBSN介导的EGF/EGFR和CCL2/CCR2/JAK2信号轴对于LX - 2激活和胃癌细胞迁移至关重要,为靶向SBSN治疗胃癌肝转移提供了理论依据。