Calpain 2 regulates IL-1α secretion and inhibits tumor development via modulating calpain 1 expression in the tumor microenvironment
Tumor-promoting inflammation significantly impacts cancer progression, and targeting inflammatory cytokines has emerged as a promising therapeutic approach in clinical trials. Interleukin (IL)-1α, a member of the IL-1 cytokine family, plays a crucial role in both inflammation and carcinogenesis. How...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | OncoImmunology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/2162402X.2025.2451444 |
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| Summary: | Tumor-promoting inflammation significantly impacts cancer progression, and targeting inflammatory cytokines has emerged as a promising therapeutic approach in clinical trials. Interleukin (IL)-1α, a member of the IL-1 cytokine family, plays a crucial role in both inflammation and carcinogenesis. How IL-1α is secreted in the tumor microenvironment has been poorly understood, and we previously showed that calpain 1 cleaves pro-IL-1α for mature IL-1α secretion, which exacerbates hepatocellular carcinoma by recruiting myeloid-derived suppressor cells. In this study, we report that calpain 2 also modulates IL-1α secretion. Notably, a deficiency in calpain 2 resulted in enhanced hepatocellular carcinoma development within an IL-1α-enriched tumor microenvironment. Further investigations revealed that calpain 2 deficiency increased calpain 1 expression, implying a compensatory mechanism between the two calpains. Mechanistically, calpain 2 deficiency led to increased expression of FoxO3, which is a forkhead transcription factor that promotes calpain 1 expression. Collectively, these results suggest that calpain 2 modulates calpain 1 expression, and therefore IL-1α secretion through the induction of FoxO3, offering novel potential therapeutic targets for cancer treatment. |
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| ISSN: | 2162-402X |