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General Physiology and Biophysics
Article . 2025 . Peer-reviewed
Data sources: Crossref
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PSPH promotes colorectal cancer growth by triggering autophagy through AMPK-ULK1 activation and enhancing tumor immune evasion

Authors: Jiajia, Guan; Jie, Ji; Bisheng, Sun; Jun, Fu; Jie, Luo; Bing, Zhu;

PSPH promotes colorectal cancer growth by triggering autophagy through AMPK-ULK1 activation and enhancing tumor immune evasion

Abstract

Phosphoserine phosphatase (PSPH), a key enzyme in the L-serine synthesis pathway, has been found to promote cancer progression through autophagy modulation. Here, we explored the functional role and molecular mechanisms of PSPH in colorectal cancer (CRC). PSPH expression in CRC was evaluated using bioinformatics analysis, RT-qPCR, and Western blot. Functional assays including colony formation, transwell migration/invasion, and flow cytometry were performed. Molecular mechanisms were investigated using Western blot analysis of autophagy-, proliferation-, apoptosis-associated proteins and AMPK-ULK1 signaling components. The biological significance of PSPH was validated using xenograft models and tumor immune microenvironment analysis. We found that PSPH expression was elevated in CRC patients and correlated with poor prognosis. PSPH overexpression promoted CRC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion while suppressing apoptosis and PSPH knockdown produced opposite effects. PSPH overexpression activated AMPK-ULK1 signaling to induce protective autophagy in CRC cells. These oncogenic effects were abrogated by AMPK/ULK1 depletion or chloroquine-mediated autophagy inhibition. In vivo, PSPH overexpression accelerated CRC tumor growth and promoted tumor immune evasion by upregulating PD-L1 expression and reducing CD8+ T cell infiltration. Overall, our findings establish PSPH as a critical oncoprotein that drives CRC progression through AMPK-ULK1-mediated autophagy activation and immune evasion.

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Keywords

Male, Mice, Inbred BALB C, Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins, Mice, Nude, AMP-Activated Protein Kinases, Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases, Mice, Cell Line, Tumor, Autophagy, Humans, Autophagy-Related Protein-1 Homolog, Animals, Tumor Escape, Female, Colorectal Neoplasms, Cell Proliferation, Signal Transduction

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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
1
Average
Average
Average
gold
Related to Research communities
Cancer Research