Evidence mapPaperPMID 41051525Full record

ArticleCancer immunology, immunotherapy : CII2025

Suppression of STK11 induces expansion of polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressive cells and activation of immune signaling in breast cancer.

Tzu-Hui Wei, Chi-Che Hsieh, Zhu-Jun Loh, Wei-Pang Chung, Kuo-Ting Lee, Yi-Ling Chen, Hui-Ping Hsu, Che-Hung Shen

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cancer immunology, immunotherapy : CII, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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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

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Tzu-Hui WeiDepartment of Surgery, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, No. 138 Sheng-Li Rd, Tainan City, 704302, Taiwan.
Chi-Che HsiehSchool of Dentistry, College of Oral Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, 11031, Taiwan.
Zhu-Jun LohDepartment of Surgery, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, No. 138 Sheng-Li Rd, Tainan City, 704302, Taiwan.
Wei-Pang ChungDepartment of Oncology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, 704302, Taiwan.
Kuo-Ting LeeDepartment of Surgery, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, No. 138 Sheng-Li Rd, Tainan City, 704302, Taiwan.
Yi-Ling ChenDepartment of Health and Nutrition, Chia Nan University of Pharmacy and Science, No. 60, Sec. 1, Erren Rd., Rende Dist., Tainan City, 717301, Taiwan. s5887110@mail.cnu.edu.tw.
Hui-Ping HsuDepartment of Surgery, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, No. 138 Sheng-Li Rd, Tainan City, 704302, Taiwan. hphsu@mail.ncku.edu.tw.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3285-5543
Che-Hung ShenNational Institute of Cancer Research, National Health Research Institute, No. 367, Sheng-Li Rd, Tainan City, 704016, Taiwan. chshen@nhri.edu.tw.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1309-6190

Funding

Chi Mei Medical Center CMNCKU11004, 11215E-Da Hospital NCKUEDA11206National Cheng Kung University D114-F2508National Cheng Kung University Hospital 11002013, 11102007, 11202052, 11302059, 11404043The Ministry of Science and Technology of Taiwan 109-2314-B-006-018-MY3
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The tumor microenvironment in breast cancer is typically immunosuppressive. Combined neoadjuvant chemotherapy and immunotherapy is the standard of care for high-risk, triple-negative breast cancer patients, but it is not routinely applied to other breast cancer subtypes. Somatic mutation of STK11 (serine/threonine kinase 11), a tumor suppressor, occurs in the MSK-IMPACT platform in 1.9% of 3116 breast cases. A potential link between inactivation of STK11 and immune response regulation has been suggested in breast cancer, but the impact of STK11 suppression on tumor-immune interactions remains under investigation. In this study, we established Stk11-knockout (Stk11-KO) mouse breast cancer cell lines, performed RNA sequencing and cytokine array analysis to assess alterations in gene expression and cytokine profiles. Our results revealed significant enrichment of several immune-related pathways and a marked increase in C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 1 (Cxcl1) expression in response to Stk11 knockout. Moreover, analysis of breast cancer patient samples showed an inverse association between the plasma CXCL1 levels and STK11 expression. To evaluate the in vivo effects of STK11 loss, we established an orthotopic breast cancer model in immunocompetent female mice. Tumors derived from Stk11-KO mouse breast cancer cells demonstrated greater tumorigenicity. In addition, mice-bearing Stk11-KO tumors exhibited elevated levels of circulating polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressive cells. In summary, STK11 suppression enhances immune-related pathways and promotes Cxcl1 expression, correlating with the expansion of immunosuppressive MDSC populations. Our findings suggest that targeting STK11-associated immunosuppressive mechanisms may provide a novel therapeutic option for STK11-deficient breast cancer patients.

Indexed as

Breast NeoplasmsMyeloid-Derived Suppressor CellsProtein Serine-Threonine KinasesAMP-Activated Protein Kinase KinasesAMP-Activated Protein KinasesAnimalsCell Line, TumorChemokine CXCL1FemaleHumansMiceMice, KnockoutSignal TransductionTumor MicroenvironmentAMP-Activated Protein Kinase KinasesAMP-Activated Protein KinasesChemokine CXCL1Protein Serine-Threonine KinasesSTK11 protein, humanStk11 protein, mouseBreast cancerCXCL1Myeloid-derived suppressive cellsSTK11

Identifiers

PMID41051525
PMCPMC12500487

What Socratic holds

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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.