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Zhao A, Pan Y, Gao Y, Zhi Z, Lu H, Dong B, Zhang X, Wu M, Zhu F, Zhou S, Ma S. MUC1 promotes cervical squamous cell carcinoma through ERK phosphorylation-mediated regulation of ITGA2/ITGA3. BMC Cancer 2024; 24:559. [PMID: 38702644 PMCID: PMC11069143 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-024-12314-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024] Open
Abstract
In contrast to the decreasing trends in developed countries, the incidence and mortality rates of cervical squamous cell carcinoma in China have increased significantly. The screening and identification of reliable biomarkers and candidate drug targets for cervical squamous cell carcinoma are urgently needed to improve the survival rate and quality of life of patients. In this study, we demonstrated that the expression of MUC1 was greater in neoplastic tissues than in non-neoplastic tissues of the cervix, and cervical squamous cell carcinoma patients with high MUC1 expression had significantly worse overall survival than did those with low MUC1 expression, indicating its potential for early diagnosis of cervical squamous cell carcinoma. Next, we explored the regulatory mechanism of MUC1 in cervical squamous cell carcinoma. MUC1 could upregulate ITGA2 and ITGA3 expression via ERK phosphorylation, promoting the proliferation and metastasis of cervical cancer cells. Further knockdown of ITGA2 and ITGA3 significantly inhibited the tumorigenesis of cervical cancer cells. Moreover, we designed a combination drug regimen comprising MUC1-siRNA and a novel ERK inhibitor in vivo and found that the combination of these drugs achieved better results in animals with xenografts than did MUC1 alone. Overall, we discovered a novel regulatory pathway, MUC1/ERK/ITGA2/3, in cervical squamous cell carcinoma that may serve as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aiqin Zhao
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The People's Hospital of Suzhou New District, Suzhou, 215129, China
| | - Yunzhi Pan
- Department of Pharmacy, The Affiliated Infectious Diseases Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215131, China
| | - Yingyin Gao
- Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210028, China
- Key Laboratory of New Drug Delivery Systems of Chinese Materia Medica, Jiangsu Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210028, China
| | - Zheng Zhi
- Department of Pathology, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, 215002, China
| | - Haiying Lu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The People's Hospital of Suzhou New District, Suzhou, 215129, China
| | - Bei Dong
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The People's Hospital of Suzhou New District, Suzhou, 215129, China
| | - Xuan Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The People's Hospital of Suzhou New District, Suzhou, 215129, China
| | - Meiying Wu
- Department of Tuberculosis, The Affiliated Infectious Diseases Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215131, China
| | - Fenxia Zhu
- Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210028, China
- Key Laboratory of New Drug Delivery Systems of Chinese Materia Medica, Jiangsu Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210028, China
| | - Sufang Zhou
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The People's Hospital of Suzhou New District, Suzhou, 215129, China.
| | - Sai Ma
- Department of Laboratory, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, 215002, China.
- Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, 215008, China.
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