Evidence mapPaperPMID 41249735Full record

ArticleEMBO molecular medicine2025

The canonical ER stress IRE1α/XBP1 pathway mediates skeletal muscle wasting during pancreatic cancer cachexia.

Aniket S Joshi, Meiricris Tomaz da Silva, Anh Tuan Vuong, Bowen Xu, Ravi K Singh, Ashok Kumar

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in EMBO molecular medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing 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

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. TAK1 Regulates Skeletal Muscle Mass, Hypertrophic Signaling, and Metabolic Homeostasis in Male and Female Mice.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Aniket S JoshiInstitute of Muscle Biology and Cachexia, University of Houston College of Pharmacy, Houston, TX, 77204, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1595-5945
Meiricris Tomaz da SilvaInstitute of Muscle Biology and Cachexia, University of Houston College of Pharmacy, Houston, TX, 77204, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-7479-2595
Anh Tuan VuongInstitute of Muscle Biology and Cachexia, University of Houston College of Pharmacy, Houston, TX, 77204, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5162-1953
Bowen XuInstitute of Muscle Biology and Cachexia, University of Houston College of Pharmacy, Houston, TX, 77204, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6127-7386
Ravi K SinghInstitute of Muscle Biology and Cachexia, University of Houston College of Pharmacy, Houston, TX, 77204, USA.
Ashok KumarInstitute of Muscle Biology and Cachexia, University of Houston College of Pharmacy, Houston, TX, 77204, USA. akumar43@Central.UH.EDU.ORCID 0000-0001-8571-2848

Funding

TAK1 signaling in Rhabdomyosarcoma tumorigenesis and growthR01CA294365 · UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON · 2025 to 2025
$658k
TWEAK/Fn14/UPR Signaling in Skeletal Muscle WastingR01AR081487 · UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON · 2025 to 2025
$535k
HHS | NIH | National Cancer Institute (NCI) CA294365HHS | NIH | National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) AR081487NCI NIH HHS R01 CA294365NIAMS NIH HHS R01 AR081487
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cancer cachexia is a debilitating syndrome characterized by the progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass with or without fat loss. Recent studies have implicated dysregulation of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-induced unfolded protein response (UPR) pathways in skeletal muscle under various conditions, including cancer. In this study, we demonstrate that the IRE1α/XBP1 branch of the UPR promotes activation of the ubiquitin-proteasome system, autophagy, JAK-STAT3 signaling, and fatty acid metabolism in the skeletal muscle of the KPC mouse model of pancreatic cancer cachexia. Moreover, we show that the IRE1α/XBP1 pathway is a key contributor to muscle wasting. Skeletal muscle-specific deletion of the XBP1 transcription factor significantly attenuates tumor-induced muscle atrophy. Mechanistically, transcriptionally active XBP1 binds to the promoter regions of genes such as Map1lc3b, Fbxo32, and Il6, which encode proteins known to drive muscle proteolysis. Pharmacological inhibition of IRE1α using 4µ8C in KPC tumor-bearing mice attenuates cachexia-associated molecular changes and improves muscle mass and strength. Collectively, our findings suggest that targeting IRE1α/XBP1 pathway may offer a therapeutic strategy to counteract muscle wasting during pancreatic cancer-induced cachexia.

Indexed as

CachexiaEndoplasmic Reticulum StressEndoribonucleasesMuscle, SkeletalMuscular AtrophyPancreatic NeoplasmsProtein Serine-Threonine KinasesSignal TransductionX-Box Binding Protein 1AnimalsAutophagyDisease Models, AnimalHumansMiceUnfolded Protein ResponseEndoribonucleasesErn1 protein, mouseProtein Serine-Threonine KinasesX-Box Binding Protein 1Xbp1 protein, mouseER StressFatty Acid OxidationJAK-STATMuscle WastingUnfolded Protein Response

Identifiers

PMID41249735
PMCPMC12686462

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.