SEPTIN7 Enhances Tumorigenesis and Therapeutic Resistance in Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Promoting FGFR4 Stabilization and Recycling.
- Open access
SEPTIN7 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression and therapy resistance by stabilizing FGFR4 and enhancing its recycling, with knockout suppressing tumor development.
- Why it matters: HCC is highly lethal due to rapid drug resistance and recurrence driven by cancer stem cells, highlighting the need for targeted molecular insights to improve treatment outcomes.
- What they did: The study used human samples, cell lines, organoids, and mouse models to investigate SEPTIN7's role, revealing its upregulation in high-stemness HCC and its regulation of FGFR4 via dual pathways.
- The result: Disrupting the SEPTIN7-FGFR4 feedback loop reduced tumor growth and increased therapy sensitivity, offering a promising therapeutic target for HCC management.