Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39956959›Full record

ArticleClinical and translational medicine2025

5-hydroxymethylcytosine features of portal venous blood predict metachronous liver metastases of colorectal cancer and reveal phosphodiesterase 4 as a therapeutic target.

Nuo Xu, Zhaoya Gao, Deyan Wu, Hangyu Chen, Zijian Zhang, Lei Zhang, Yuchen Wang, Xuyang Lu, Xu Yao, Xuelan Liu and 21 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical and translational medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

31 authors.

Nuo XuDepartment of Pharmacy, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China.
Zhaoya GaoDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Peking University Shougang Hospital, Beijing, China.ORCID 0000-0002-0874-2266
Deyan WuKey Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, China.
Hangyu ChenDepartment of Pharmacy, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China.
Zijian ZhangKey Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, China.
Lei ZhangNatural Medicine Institute of Zhejiang YangShengTang Co. Ltd., Hangzhou, China.
Yuchen WangNatural Medicine Institute of Zhejiang YangShengTang Co. Ltd., Hangzhou, China.
Xuyang LuNatural Medicine Institute of Zhejiang YangShengTang Co. Ltd., Hangzhou, China.
Xu YaoNatural Medicine Institute of Zhejiang YangShengTang Co. Ltd., Hangzhou, China.
Xuelan LiuNatural Medicine Institute of Zhejiang YangShengTang Co. Ltd., Hangzhou, China.
Yi-You HuangKey Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, China.
Meiying QiuSchool of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Sen WangKey Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, China.
Jinqiang LiangKey Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, China.
Can MaoKey Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, China.
Feng ZhangKey Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, China.
Huimin XuKey Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, China.
Yujiao WangKey Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, China.
Xian LiKey Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, China.
Zhexin ChenKey Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, China.
Dandan HuangCenter for Precision Diagnosis and Treatment of Colorectal Cancer and Inflammatory Diseases, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China.
Jingyi ShiKey laboratory of Carcinogenesis & Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery III, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China.
Wensheng HuangDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Peking University Shougang Hospital, Beijing, China.
Fuming LeiDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Peking University Shougang Hospital, Beijing, China.
Zeruo YangDepartment of Pharmacy, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China.
Long ChenDepartment of Pharmacy, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China.
Chuan HeDepartment of Chemistry, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Haichuan ZhuInstitute of Biology and Medicine, College of Life and Health Sciences, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.ORCID 0000-0002-4232-835X
Hai-Bin LuoKey Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, China.
Jin GuDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Peking University Shougang Hospital, Beijing, China.
Jian LinDepartment of Pharmacy, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China.ORCID 0000-0002-1519-9679

Funding

Hainan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China 222RC556Hainan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China 324MS018Hainan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China 823CXTD375Hainan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China KJRC2023B10National Natural Science Foundation of China 22077143National Natural Science Foundation of China 22307031National Natural Science Foundation of China 22377023National Natural Science Foundation of China 81602955National Natural Science Foundation of China 82100193National Natural Science Foundation of China 82273856National Natural Science Foundation of China 82274034National Natural Science Foundation of China 82373732National Science and Technology Major Projects for "Major New Drugs Innovation and Development" 2018ZX09711003Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province 2022CFB029Research Foundation of Hainan University 31511010402Research Foundation of Hainan University KYQD(ZR)-21126Research Foundation of Hainan University XTCX2022JKA01
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Metachronous liver metastases (MLM) are characterised by high incidence and high mortality in clinical colorectal cancer treatment. Currently traditional clinical methods cannot effectively predict and prevent the occurrence of metachronous liver metastasis in colorectal cancer. Based on 5hmC-Seal analysis of blood and tissue samples, this study found that portal venous blood was more relevant to tumour gDNA than peripheral blood. We performed a novel epigenetic liquid biopsy strategy using the 10 5hmC epigenetic alterations, to accurately distinguish MLM patients from patients without metastases. Among these epigenetic alterations, phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4D) was highly increased in MLM patients and correlated with poor survival. Moreover, our studies demonstrated that PDE4D was a key metastasis-driven target for drug development. Interfering with the function of PDE4D significantly repressed liver metastases. Similarly, roflumilast, a PDE4 inhibitor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) therapy, also inhibits liver metastases. Further studies indicate that blocking the function of PDE4D can affect CRC invasion through the HIF-1α-CCN2 pathway. To develop a more efficient PDE4 inhibitor and reduce the occurrence of adverse events, we also designed several new compounds based on 2-arylbenzofurans and discovered lead L11 with potent affinity for PDE4D and significant suppression of liver metastases. In this work, our study provides a promising strategy for predicting metachronous liver metastasis and discovers L11 as a potential repurposed drug for inhibiting liver metastasis, which have the potential to benefit patients with CRC in the future. KEY POINTS: 5hmC epigenetic markers derived from portal venous blood could accurately predict metachronous metastasis of colorectal cancer. PDE4D was a key metastasis-driven target that promoted metachronous metastasis via the HIF-1α-CCN2 pathway. The newly synthesised compound L11 could specifically inhibit PDE4D and abolish metachronous metastasis of colorectal cancer without obvious toxic side effects.

Indexed as

Colorectal NeoplasmsCyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases, Type 4Liver NeoplasmsFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPhosphodiesterase 4 InhibitorsPortal VeinCyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases, Type 4Phosphodiesterase 4 Inhibitors5hmC‐SealColorectal cancerMetachronous liver metastasesPDE4D

Identifiers

PMID39956959
PMCPMC11830572

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.