Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39990806›Full record

ArticleOncology letters2025

Identification of GDP as a small inhibitory molecule in HepG2 cells by non‑targeted metabolomics analysis.

Zhilin Peng, Siting Xu, Haocheng Wang, Yanli Huang, Siyuan Liu, Zhongbei Jiao, Mei Lin, Ping Zhu, Yu Chen, Yan Shi and 7 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Oncology letters, 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. Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
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

17 authors.

Zhilin PengThe Center for Heart Development, College of Life Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, P.R. China.
Siting XuThe Center for Heart Development, College of Life Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, P.R. China.
Haocheng WangThe Center for Heart Development, College of Life Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, P.R. China.
Yanli HuangThe Center for Heart Development, College of Life Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, P.R. China.
Siyuan LiuThe Center for Heart Development, College of Life Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, P.R. China.
Zhongbei JiaoThe Center for Heart Development, College of Life Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, P.R. China.
Mei LinThe Center for Heart Development, College of Life Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, P.R. China.
Ping ZhuGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathogenesis, Targeted Prevention and Treatment of Heart Disease, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital Affiliated to Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510100, P.R. China.
Yu ChenGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathogenesis, Targeted Prevention and Treatment of Heart Disease, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital Affiliated to Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510100, P.R. China.
Yan ShiGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathogenesis, Targeted Prevention and Treatment of Heart Disease, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital Affiliated to Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510100, P.R. China.
Yuequn WangThe Center for Heart Development, College of Life Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, P.R. China.
Yongqing LiThe Center for Heart Development, College of Life Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, P.R. China.
Wuzhou YuanThe Center for Heart Development, College of Life Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, P.R. China.
Xiushan WuThe Center for Heart Development, College of Life Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, P.R. China.
Zhigang JiangThe Center for Heart Development, College of Life Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, P.R. China.
Fang LiThe Center for Heart Development, College of Life Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, P.R. China.
Xiongwei FanThe Center for Heart Development, College of Life Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, P.R. China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Identifying the mechanism by which lipid metabolism regulates cancer may offer a novel approach for therapeutic intervention. It has previously been identified that a lipid metabolism-related factor, namely fatty acid hydroxylase domain containing 2 (FAXDC2), is downregulated in various types of cancer, and inhibits the proliferation and migration of liver cancer cells through a mechanism associated with ERK. The liver is important for lipid metabolism, and FAXDC2 is involved in the synthesis of cholesterol and sphingomyelin. However, the functional mechanism by which FAXDC2 influences liver cancer cells through metabolic processes and ERK signaling remains unclear. Therefore, the present study induced the overexpression of FAXDC2 in HepG2 liver cancer cells and performed a metabolomics analysis. This identified guanosine diphosphate (GDP) as a significantly altered metabolite. Using AlphaFold3, a robust interaction was predicted between FAXDC2 and GDP, which lead to the hypothesis that GDP may mediate the inhibitory effects of FAXDC2 on liver cancer cells by directly modulating the functional properties of the cells, thereby influencing their behavior and progression. Cell Counting Kit-8 assays were used to study the impact of elevated GDP concentrations on HepG2 cell growth. The results revealed a gradual reduction in the viability of HepG2 cells as the GDP concentration increased. In addition, western blotting showed that GDP treatment was accompanied by a significant downregulation of cyclin dependent kinase 4 and cyclin D1 expression levels, and Transwell experiments revealed that GDP treatment significantly decreased the invasion of HepG2 cells. Treatment with GDP also significantly inhibited the expression of ERK. In summary, the present study is the first to indicate that GDP is a metabolic small molecule with inhibitory activity in cancer cells, which has previously been overlooked in tumor metabolic reprogramming. The study findings offer new insights and strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of liver cancer, and potentially other types of cancer.

Indexed as

AlphaFold3ERKfatty acid hydroxylase domain containing 2guanosine diphosphatelipid metabolismliver cancermetabolomics

Identifiers

PMID39990806
PMCPMC11843412

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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 OpenQuestion graph.