SULF1 in Cancer Associated Fibroblasts Promotes Invasion in Head and Neck Cancer Cell Lines.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) significantly influence tumor behavior in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and other malignancies. We identified the extracellular sulfatase SULF1 as a key stromal factor highly expressed in CAFs and associated with poor prognosis.

Methods and results

Using CRISPR/Cas9-edited SULF1-knockout primary HNSCC CAFs, we demonstrate that loss of SULF1 reduces fibroblast proliferation and markedly impairs cancer cell migration and invasion in vitro. Two-photon microscopy in 3D spheroid cocultures revealed that SULF1-deficient CAFs fail to support invasiveness of Cal33 cells, resulting in spheroids with fewer invasive projections and altered morphology. Proteomic analysis confirmed the absence of SULF1 in the knockout cell c

SUBMITTER: Mukherjee P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12812489 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature