Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are pervasively present in human cancers and have a fundamental role in treatment failure and disease recurrence. Identifying critical elements that sustain the CSC phenotype may lead to novel strategies for cancer treatment. Here, we provide evidence of an essential link between the σ1 receptor (σ1R), a ligand-regulated chaperone protein residing preferentially at the endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondria contact sites, and CSCs in castration-resistant prostate cancers (CRPCs). Integrating functional assays in multiple preclinical models with transcriptomic and proteomic data, we found that σ1R controls CSC self-renewal capacity and tumorigenic proficiency by coordinating mitochondrial dynamics and mitochondrial-nuclear signaling. Inhibiting σ1R with synthetic antagonists and RNA interference led to the progressive exhaustion and loss of tumorigenicity of the CSC progeny. Mechanistically, interfering with σ1R function disrupted mitochondria homeostasis and triggered β-catenin degradation. Examining clinical CRPC samples, we found a tight correlation between σ1R and mitochondrial gene expression. Furthermore, σ1R and β-catenin protein levels were highly correlated in prostate tumors with significant upregulation in metastatic CRPCs, sustaining a role of the σ1R-mitochondria-β-catenin axis in disease progression. This σ1R-centered axis is essential for preserving the self-renewal and tumorigenic capability of CSCs and represents a critical vulnerability exploitable for discovering novel CSC-directed therapies.
Source: Oncogene
Authors: Gianluca Civenni, Giada Sandrini, Jessica Merulla, Carola Musumeci, Elisa Federici, Arianna Vallegra, Aleksandra Kokanovic, Simone Mosole, Dheeraj Shinde, Elisa Sorrenti, Alyssa J. J. Paganoni, Martina Marchetti, Riccardo Valzelli, Domenico Albino, Matteo Pecoraro, Andrea Rinaldi, Marco Bolis, Roger Geiger, Tobias Winge, Catharina Holtschulte, Erik Laurini, Sabrina Pricl, Giuseppina M. Carbone, Bernhard Wünsch, Carlo V. Catapano
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $5,990
Awards: The ETS transcription factor ESE3/EHF as a regulator of prostate epithelial cell differentiation and stem cell properties, G3424705880, Targeting metabolic reprogramming and plasticity of cancer stem cells to impact on tumor progression and treatment resistance, G7335729894, Epigenetic cross-talks and novel therapeutic strategies to prevent disease progression in ERG fusion positive prostate cancer, G8690818240
OpenAlex ID: W4413926344