Tumor exosomal RNPEP promotes lung metastasis of liver cancer via inducing cancer-associated fibroblast activation.

ABSTRACT: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are essential players in the tumor microenvironment (TME) due to their roles in facilitating tumor progression and metastasis. It is worth noting that the high-metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell-derived exosomes have exhibited the ability to transform normal fibroblasts into CAFs, which further fosters the lung metastasis of low-metastatic HCC cells. Yet, the mechanisms underlying this tumor exosome-induced metastatic niche formation are poorly explored. In this study, the secreted protein arginyl aminopeptidase (RNPEP) was highly expressed in the plasma of patients with HCC. In addition, high-metastatic HCC cells showed augmented RNPEP expression levels in their exosomes. These exosomes induced obvious CAF-like properties in the human fibro

SUBMITTER: Chen Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11875778 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature