Harada Akikazu, Yasumizu Yoshiaki, Harada Takeshi, Fumoto Katsumi, Sato Akira, Maehara Natsumi, Sada Ryota, Matsumoto Shinji, Nishina Takashi, Takeda Kiyoshi, Morii Eiichi, Kayama Hisako, Kikuchi Akira
Center for Infectious Disease Education and Research (CiDER), The University of Osaka, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
Institute for Open and Transdisciplinary Research Initiatives (OTRI), The University of Osaka, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
Nat Commun. 2025 Apr 17;16(1):3653. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-58748-9.
Wnt5a, a representative Wnt ligand that activates the β-catenin-independent pathway, has been shown to promote tumorigenesis. However, it is unclear where Wnt5a is produced and how it affects colon cancer aggressiveness. In this study, we demonstrate that Wnt5a is expressed in fibroblasts near the luminal side of the tumor, and its depletion suppresses mouse colon cancer formation. To characterize the specific fibroblast subtype, a meta-analysis of human and mouse colon fibroblast single-cell RNA-seq data is performed. The results show that Wnt5a is expressed in hypoxia-induced inflammatory fibroblast (InfFib), accompanied by the activation of HIF2. Moreover, Wnt5a maintains InfFib through the suppression of angiogenesis mediated by soluble VEGF receptor1 (Flt1) secretion from endothelial cells, thereby inducing further hypoxia. InfFib also produces epiregulin, which promotes colon cancer growth. Here, we show that Wnt5a acts on endothelial cells, inducing a hypoxic environment that maintains InfFib, thereby contributing to colon cancer progression through InfFib.
Wnt5a是一种激活非β-连环蛋白依赖性途径的代表性Wnt配体,已被证明可促进肿瘤发生。然而,尚不清楚Wnt5a在哪里产生以及它如何影响结肠癌的侵袭性。在本研究中,我们证明Wnt5a在肿瘤管腔侧附近的成纤维细胞中表达,其缺失可抑制小鼠结肠癌的形成。为了表征特定的成纤维细胞亚型,我们对人和小鼠结肠成纤维细胞单细胞RNA测序数据进行了荟萃分析。结果表明,Wnt5a在缺氧诱导的炎性成纤维细胞(InfFib)中表达,同时伴有HIF2的激活。此外,Wnt5a通过抑制内皮细胞分泌可溶性VEGF受体1(Flt1)介导的血管生成来维持InfFib,从而诱导进一步的缺氧。InfFib还产生表皮调节素,促进结肠癌生长。在这里,我们表明Wnt5a作用于内皮细胞,诱导维持InfFib的缺氧环境,从而通过InfFib促进结肠癌进展。