ArticleCancer cell international2023
A novel STAT3/ NFκB p50 axis regulates stromal-KDM2A to promote M2 macrophage-mediated chemoresistance in breast cancer.
Article in Cancer cell international, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.
- Integrated analyses reveal a potential role for PFKFB4 in M2 macrophage polarization and hepatocellular carcinoma progression.Cancer cell international · 2026Article
- HER2 Heterogeneity in Breast Cancer: Biological Basis, Clinical Implications, and Therapeutic Strategies.Breast cancer (Dove Medical Press) · 2026Review
- Macrophage-cancer cell crosstalk in breast cancer chemotherapy resistance.Medical oncology (Northwood, London, England) · 2025Review
- Histone lysine demethylases in breast cancer: molecular mechanisms, biological functions, and therapeutic intervention.Molecular cancer · 2025Review
- Role of interleukin-6 in resistance to tumor therapy.Discover oncology · 2025Review
- The Underlying Mechanisms and Emerging Strategies to Overcome Resistance in Breast Cancer.Cancers · 2025Review
- Review
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundLysine Demethylase 2A (KDM2A) plays a crucial role in cancer cell growth, differentiation, metastasis, and the maintenance of cancer stemness. Our previous study found that cancer-secreted IL-6 can upregulate the expression of KDM2A to promote further the transition of cells into cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). However, the molecular mechanism by which breast cancer-secreted IL-6 regulates the expression of KDM2A remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanism of IL-6 in regulating KDM2A expression in CAFs and KDM2A-mediated paclitaxel resistance in breast cancer.
methodsThe ectopic vector expression and biochemical inhibitor were used to analyze the KDM2A expression regulated by HS-578 T conditioned medium or IL-6 in mammary fibroblasts. Immunoprecipitation and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays were conducted to examine the interaction between STAT3 and NFκB p50. M2 macrophage polarization was assessed by analyzing M2 macrophage-specific markers using flow cytometry and RT-PCR. ESTIMATE algorithm was used to analyze the tumor microenvironment-dominant breast cancer samples from the TCGA database. The correlation between stromal KDM2A and CD163 + M2 macrophages was analyzed using the Pearson correlation coefficient. Cell viability was determined using trypan blue exclusion assay.
resultsIL-6 regulates gene expression via activation and dimerization of STAT3 or collaboration of STAT3 and NFκB. However, STAT3, a downstream transcription factor of the IL-6 signaling pathway, was directly complexed with NFκB p50, not NFκB p65, to upregulate the expression of KDM2A in CAFs. Enrichment analysis of immune cells/stromal cells using TCGA-breast cancer RNA-seq data unveiled a positive correlation between stromal KDM2A and the abundance of M2 macrophages. CXCR2-associated chemokines secreted by KDM2A-expressing CAFs stimulated M2 macrophage polarization, which in turn secreted CCL2 to increase paclitaxel resistance in breast cancer cells by activating CCR2 signaling.
conclusionThis study revealed the non-canonical molecular mechanism of IL-6 secreted by breast cancer upregulated KDM2A expression in CAFs via a novel STAT3/NFκB p50 axis, which STAT3 complexed with NFκB p50 in NFκB p50 binding motif of KDM2A promoter. KDM2A-expressing CAFs dominantly secreted the CXCR2-associated chemokines to promote M2 macrophage polarization and enhance paclitaxel resistance in breast cancer. These findings underscore the therapeutic potential of targeting the CXCR2 or CCR2 pathway as a novel strategy for paclitaxel-resistant breast cancer.
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