Single-cell analysis reveals that cancer-associated fibroblasts stimulate oral squamous cell carcinoma invasion via the TGF-β/Smad pathway.

ABSTRACT: Although substantial progress has been made in cancer biology and treatment, the prognosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is still not satisfactory because of local tumor invasion and frequent lymph node metastasis. The tumor microenvironment (TME) is a potential target in which cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are of great significance due to their interactions with cancer cells. However, the exact mechanism is still unclear. Therefore, we focus on the crosstalk between cancer cells and CAFs and discover that CAFs are the main source of TGF-β1. Transwell assays and western blot analysis further prove that CAFs activate the TGF-β1/Smad pathway to promote OSCC invasion. Through survival analysis, we confirm that CAF overexpression is correlated with poor overall survival in OSCC

SUBMITTER: Yang W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10157546 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature