Cancer-associated fibroblasts: multidimensional players in liver cancer
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), the most abundant stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME), control tumor growth through production and organization of the extracellular matrix (ECM) for a long time. However, the results from different studies that have focused on targeting CAFs to di...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Oncology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2025.1454546/full |
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| author | Yanyun Pan Yuangang Qiu Xinbin Zhou Wei Mao Xiaoming Xu |
| author_facet | Yanyun Pan Yuangang Qiu Xinbin Zhou Wei Mao Xiaoming Xu |
| author_sort | Yanyun Pan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), the most abundant stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME), control tumor growth through production and organization of the extracellular matrix (ECM) for a long time. However, the results from different studies that have focused on targeting CAFs to disturb tumor progression are extremely controversial. Recent studies using advanced single-cell RNA sequencing technology (scRNAseq) combined with multiple genetically engineered mouse models have identified diverse CAF subpopulations in the premalignant liver microenvironment (PME) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and TME of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), providing a deeper understanding of the exact roles of each CAF subpopulation in cancer development. This review focuses on the specific protein markers, signaling pathways, and functions of various emerging CAF subclusters that contribute to the development of ICC and HCC. Elucidating the role and regulation of CAF subpopulations under different pathophysiological conditions will facilitate the discovery of new therapeutics that modulate CAF activity. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7dfd2f2d94c14022a6ad099aeae67908 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2234-943X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Oncology |
| spelling | doaj-art-7dfd2f2d94c14022a6ad099aeae679082025-08-20T03:07:21ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Oncology2234-943X2025-04-011510.3389/fonc.2025.14545461454546Cancer-associated fibroblasts: multidimensional players in liver cancerYanyun Pan0Yuangang Qiu1Xinbin Zhou2Wei Mao3Xiaoming Xu4Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine), Hangzhou, ChinaDepartment of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine), Hangzhou, ChinaDepartment of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine), Hangzhou, ChinaDepartment of Cardiology, Affiliated Zhejiang Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Integrative Chinese and Western Medicine for Diagnosis and Treatment of Circulatory Diseases, Hangzhou, ChinaDepartment of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine), Hangzhou, ChinaCancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), the most abundant stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME), control tumor growth through production and organization of the extracellular matrix (ECM) for a long time. However, the results from different studies that have focused on targeting CAFs to disturb tumor progression are extremely controversial. Recent studies using advanced single-cell RNA sequencing technology (scRNAseq) combined with multiple genetically engineered mouse models have identified diverse CAF subpopulations in the premalignant liver microenvironment (PME) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and TME of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), providing a deeper understanding of the exact roles of each CAF subpopulation in cancer development. This review focuses on the specific protein markers, signaling pathways, and functions of various emerging CAF subclusters that contribute to the development of ICC and HCC. Elucidating the role and regulation of CAF subpopulations under different pathophysiological conditions will facilitate the discovery of new therapeutics that modulate CAF activity.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2025.1454546/fullcancer-associated fibroblastiCAFmyCAFhepatocellular carcinomaintrahepatic cholangiocarcinomatumor microenvironment |
| spellingShingle | Yanyun Pan Yuangang Qiu Xinbin Zhou Wei Mao Xiaoming Xu Cancer-associated fibroblasts: multidimensional players in liver cancer Frontiers in Oncology cancer-associated fibroblast iCAF myCAF hepatocellular carcinoma intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma tumor microenvironment |
| title | Cancer-associated fibroblasts: multidimensional players in liver cancer |
| title_full | Cancer-associated fibroblasts: multidimensional players in liver cancer |
| title_fullStr | Cancer-associated fibroblasts: multidimensional players in liver cancer |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cancer-associated fibroblasts: multidimensional players in liver cancer |
| title_short | Cancer-associated fibroblasts: multidimensional players in liver cancer |
| title_sort | cancer associated fibroblasts multidimensional players in liver cancer |
| topic | cancer-associated fibroblast iCAF myCAF hepatocellular carcinoma intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma tumor microenvironment |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2025.1454546/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT yanyunpan cancerassociatedfibroblastsmultidimensionalplayersinlivercancer AT yuangangqiu cancerassociatedfibroblastsmultidimensionalplayersinlivercancer AT xinbinzhou cancerassociatedfibroblastsmultidimensionalplayersinlivercancer AT weimao cancerassociatedfibroblastsmultidimensionalplayersinlivercancer AT xiaomingxu cancerassociatedfibroblastsmultidimensionalplayersinlivercancer |