The interplay of cancer-associated fibroblasts and apoptotic cancer cells suppresses lung cancer cell growth through WISP-1-integrin ανβ3-STAT1 signaling pathway

Abstract Background Cell death within the tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a crucial role in controlling cancer by influencing the balance of tumor-specific immunity. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) significantly contribute to tumor progression through paracrine mechanisms. We found that repr...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Shinyoung Kim, Kyungwon Yang, Kiyoon Kim, Hee Ja Kim, Da Young Kim, Jeesoo Chae, Young-Ho Ahn, Jihee Lee Kang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-02-01
Series:Cell Communication and Signaling
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12964-025-02094-2
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849715668029538304
author Shinyoung Kim
Kyungwon Yang
Kiyoon Kim
Hee Ja Kim
Da Young Kim
Jeesoo Chae
Young-Ho Ahn
Jihee Lee Kang
author_facet Shinyoung Kim
Kyungwon Yang
Kiyoon Kim
Hee Ja Kim
Da Young Kim
Jeesoo Chae
Young-Ho Ahn
Jihee Lee Kang
author_sort Shinyoung Kim
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Cell death within the tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a crucial role in controlling cancer by influencing the balance of tumor-specific immunity. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) significantly contribute to tumor progression through paracrine mechanisms. We found that reprogramming of CAFs by apoptotic cancer cells suppresses tumor volume and lung metastasis. Here, we investigated the mechanisms by which the interaction between apoptotic lung cancer cells and CAFs hinders tumor growth. Methods Experimental methods including CCK assay, colony formation assay, immunoblotting, co-immunoprecipitation, qRT-PCR analysis, qRT-PCR array, apoptosis assay, ELISA, and immunofluorescent staining were used in this study. Additionally, CAFs were isolated from lung tumors of Kras-mutant (KrasLA1) mice and human lung adenocarcinoma samples using magnetic-activated cell sorting. Murine lung cancer cells (344SQ cells) along with various human cancer cell lines (A549, HCT116, and LoVo) were cultured. In animal study, conditioned medium (CM) derived from CAFs (undiluted or 50% diluted) with or without neutralizing anti-WISP-1 antibody was administered into syngeneic mice to study anti-tumoral effects. To confirm the paracrine role of WISP-1, recombinant WISP-1 (rWISP-1) was administered via intratumoral injection. Results We demonstrate that treatment with CM from lung CAFs exposed to apoptotic cancer cells suppresses proliferation and promotes apoptosis in lung cancer cells through STAT1 signaling. Pharmacologic inhibition of Notch1 activation or siRNA-mediated Notch1 silencing in CAFs reversed the antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects. Similarly, knockdown of Wnt-induced signaling protein 1 (WISP-1) in CAFs or neutralizing the CM with anti-WISP-1 antibodies reversed the antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects. WISP-1 signaled through integrin ανβ3-STAT1 signaling pathway to inhibit cancer cell growth and promote apoptosis. The in vivo introduction of CM derived from apoptotic 344SQ-exposed CAFs (ApoSQ-CAF CM) potently decelerated tumor growth. This effect was observed alongside the downregulation of proliferative and anti-apoptotic markers, while simultaneously boosting the activation of phosphorylated STAT1 and pro-apoptotic markers in CD326+ tumor cells within syngeneic immunocompetent mice. rWISP-1 effectively replicates the in vivo effects of ApoSQ-CAF CM. Conclusions These findings suggest that CM from apoptotic cancer cell-exposed CAFs may offer a promising therapeutic approach by lung cancer suppression.
format Article
id doaj-art-e65c8ede8cd148a1b7ef2dce71b37785
institution DOAJ
issn 1478-811X
language English
publishDate 2025-02-01
publisher BMC
record_format Article
series Cell Communication and Signaling
spelling doaj-art-e65c8ede8cd148a1b7ef2dce71b377852025-08-20T03:13:15ZengBMCCell Communication and Signaling1478-811X2025-02-0123112410.1186/s12964-025-02094-2The interplay of cancer-associated fibroblasts and apoptotic cancer cells suppresses lung cancer cell growth through WISP-1-integrin ανβ3-STAT1 signaling pathwayShinyoung Kim0Kyungwon Yang1Kiyoon Kim2Hee Ja Kim3Da Young Kim4Jeesoo Chae5Young-Ho Ahn6Jihee Lee Kang7Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans UniversityDepartment of Physiology, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans UniversityInflammation-Cancer Microenvironment Research Center, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans UniversityDepartment of Physiology, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans UniversityDepartment of Physiology, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans UniversityDepartment of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans UniversityInflammation-Cancer Microenvironment Research Center, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans UniversityDepartment of Physiology, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans UniversityAbstract Background Cell death within the tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a crucial role in controlling cancer by influencing the balance of tumor-specific immunity. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) significantly contribute to tumor progression through paracrine mechanisms. We found that reprogramming of CAFs by apoptotic cancer cells suppresses tumor volume and lung metastasis. Here, we investigated the mechanisms by which the interaction between apoptotic lung cancer cells and CAFs hinders tumor growth. Methods Experimental methods including CCK assay, colony formation assay, immunoblotting, co-immunoprecipitation, qRT-PCR analysis, qRT-PCR array, apoptosis assay, ELISA, and immunofluorescent staining were used in this study. Additionally, CAFs were isolated from lung tumors of Kras-mutant (KrasLA1) mice and human lung adenocarcinoma samples using magnetic-activated cell sorting. Murine lung cancer cells (344SQ cells) along with various human cancer cell lines (A549, HCT116, and LoVo) were cultured. In animal study, conditioned medium (CM) derived from CAFs (undiluted or 50% diluted) with or without neutralizing anti-WISP-1 antibody was administered into syngeneic mice to study anti-tumoral effects. To confirm the paracrine role of WISP-1, recombinant WISP-1 (rWISP-1) was administered via intratumoral injection. Results We demonstrate that treatment with CM from lung CAFs exposed to apoptotic cancer cells suppresses proliferation and promotes apoptosis in lung cancer cells through STAT1 signaling. Pharmacologic inhibition of Notch1 activation or siRNA-mediated Notch1 silencing in CAFs reversed the antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects. Similarly, knockdown of Wnt-induced signaling protein 1 (WISP-1) in CAFs or neutralizing the CM with anti-WISP-1 antibodies reversed the antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects. WISP-1 signaled through integrin ανβ3-STAT1 signaling pathway to inhibit cancer cell growth and promote apoptosis. The in vivo introduction of CM derived from apoptotic 344SQ-exposed CAFs (ApoSQ-CAF CM) potently decelerated tumor growth. This effect was observed alongside the downregulation of proliferative and anti-apoptotic markers, while simultaneously boosting the activation of phosphorylated STAT1 and pro-apoptotic markers in CD326+ tumor cells within syngeneic immunocompetent mice. rWISP-1 effectively replicates the in vivo effects of ApoSQ-CAF CM. Conclusions These findings suggest that CM from apoptotic cancer cell-exposed CAFs may offer a promising therapeutic approach by lung cancer suppression.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12964-025-02094-2CAFApoptotic cancer cellLung cancerWISP-1-integrin ανβ3-STAT1 signaling pathwayTumor growth
spellingShingle Shinyoung Kim
Kyungwon Yang
Kiyoon Kim
Hee Ja Kim
Da Young Kim
Jeesoo Chae
Young-Ho Ahn
Jihee Lee Kang
The interplay of cancer-associated fibroblasts and apoptotic cancer cells suppresses lung cancer cell growth through WISP-1-integrin ανβ3-STAT1 signaling pathway
Cell Communication and Signaling
CAF
Apoptotic cancer cell
Lung cancer
WISP-1-integrin ανβ3-STAT1 signaling pathway
Tumor growth
title The interplay of cancer-associated fibroblasts and apoptotic cancer cells suppresses lung cancer cell growth through WISP-1-integrin ανβ3-STAT1 signaling pathway
title_full The interplay of cancer-associated fibroblasts and apoptotic cancer cells suppresses lung cancer cell growth through WISP-1-integrin ανβ3-STAT1 signaling pathway
title_fullStr The interplay of cancer-associated fibroblasts and apoptotic cancer cells suppresses lung cancer cell growth through WISP-1-integrin ανβ3-STAT1 signaling pathway
title_full_unstemmed The interplay of cancer-associated fibroblasts and apoptotic cancer cells suppresses lung cancer cell growth through WISP-1-integrin ανβ3-STAT1 signaling pathway
title_short The interplay of cancer-associated fibroblasts and apoptotic cancer cells suppresses lung cancer cell growth through WISP-1-integrin ανβ3-STAT1 signaling pathway
title_sort interplay of cancer associated fibroblasts and apoptotic cancer cells suppresses lung cancer cell growth through wisp 1 integrin ανβ3 stat1 signaling pathway
topic CAF
Apoptotic cancer cell
Lung cancer
WISP-1-integrin ανβ3-STAT1 signaling pathway
Tumor growth
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12964-025-02094-2
work_keys_str_mv AT shinyoungkim theinterplayofcancerassociatedfibroblastsandapoptoticcancercellssuppresseslungcancercellgrowththroughwisp1integrinanb3stat1signalingpathway
AT kyungwonyang theinterplayofcancerassociatedfibroblastsandapoptoticcancercellssuppresseslungcancercellgrowththroughwisp1integrinanb3stat1signalingpathway
AT kiyoonkim theinterplayofcancerassociatedfibroblastsandapoptoticcancercellssuppresseslungcancercellgrowththroughwisp1integrinanb3stat1signalingpathway
AT heejakim theinterplayofcancerassociatedfibroblastsandapoptoticcancercellssuppresseslungcancercellgrowththroughwisp1integrinanb3stat1signalingpathway
AT dayoungkim theinterplayofcancerassociatedfibroblastsandapoptoticcancercellssuppresseslungcancercellgrowththroughwisp1integrinanb3stat1signalingpathway
AT jeesoochae theinterplayofcancerassociatedfibroblastsandapoptoticcancercellssuppresseslungcancercellgrowththroughwisp1integrinanb3stat1signalingpathway
AT younghoahn theinterplayofcancerassociatedfibroblastsandapoptoticcancercellssuppresseslungcancercellgrowththroughwisp1integrinanb3stat1signalingpathway
AT jiheeleekang theinterplayofcancerassociatedfibroblastsandapoptoticcancercellssuppresseslungcancercellgrowththroughwisp1integrinanb3stat1signalingpathway
AT shinyoungkim interplayofcancerassociatedfibroblastsandapoptoticcancercellssuppresseslungcancercellgrowththroughwisp1integrinanb3stat1signalingpathway
AT kyungwonyang interplayofcancerassociatedfibroblastsandapoptoticcancercellssuppresseslungcancercellgrowththroughwisp1integrinanb3stat1signalingpathway
AT kiyoonkim interplayofcancerassociatedfibroblastsandapoptoticcancercellssuppresseslungcancercellgrowththroughwisp1integrinanb3stat1signalingpathway
AT heejakim interplayofcancerassociatedfibroblastsandapoptoticcancercellssuppresseslungcancercellgrowththroughwisp1integrinanb3stat1signalingpathway
AT dayoungkim interplayofcancerassociatedfibroblastsandapoptoticcancercellssuppresseslungcancercellgrowththroughwisp1integrinanb3stat1signalingpathway
AT jeesoochae interplayofcancerassociatedfibroblastsandapoptoticcancercellssuppresseslungcancercellgrowththroughwisp1integrinanb3stat1signalingpathway
AT younghoahn interplayofcancerassociatedfibroblastsandapoptoticcancercellssuppresseslungcancercellgrowththroughwisp1integrinanb3stat1signalingpathway
AT jiheeleekang interplayofcancerassociatedfibroblastsandapoptoticcancercellssuppresseslungcancercellgrowththroughwisp1integrinanb3stat1signalingpathway