Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40260977›Full record

ArticleThe journal of pathology. Clinical research2025

AXL and SRC in clear cell renal cell carcinoma: absence of mutations, rare alternative splicing events, but association of protein expression with poor prognosis.

Muriel D Brada, Tülay Karakulak, Peter Schraml, Martina Haberecker, Dorothea Rutishauser, Jeffrey S Ross, Daniel Eberli, Holger Moch

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The journal of pathology. Clinical research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Muriel D BradaDepartment of Pathology and Molecular Pathology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0002-4078-0502
Tülay KarakulakDepartment of Pathology and Molecular Pathology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0002-4644-2774
Peter SchramlDepartment of Pathology and Molecular Pathology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Martina HabereckerDepartment of Pathology and Molecular Pathology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0001-5704-7721
Dorothea RutishauserDepartment of Pathology and Molecular Pathology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0003-2303-103X
Jeffrey S RossFoundation Medicine, Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA.
Daniel EberliDepartment of Urology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0001-8866-8010
Holger MochDepartment of Pathology and Molecular Pathology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0002-7986-2839

Funding

Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung S-87701-03-01
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Novel treatment options for metastatic renal cell carcinomas (RCC) include specific MET inhibitors, GAS6/AXL inhibitors, and SRC inhibitors. The interplay between c-MET, SRC, AXL expression, and their gene mutation patterns in different renal carcinoma subtypes is unclear. To improve the understanding of these signaling pathways, we analyzed c-MET, AXL, and SRC expression in 590 clear cell RCC (ccRCC) and 127 papillary RCC (pRCC) by immunohistochemistry and integrated sequencing data to investigate the frequency of MET, AXL, and SRC gene mutations, their expression levels, and the presence of splice variants. In TCGA and in Foundation Medicine, Inc. (FMI) datasets, AXL and SRC gene alterations were extremely rare (<2%) or absent in ccRCC (n = 531 and 2,781, respectively) and pRCC (n = 290 and 566, respectively). On the other hand, MET mutations or amplifications were found in 9.7% (TCGA) and 10.2% (FMI) of pRCC. We show that strong SRC staining intensity by immunohistochemistry is associated with high tumor stage, high grade, and shorter survival in ccRCC (p < 0.001 each). AXL expression correlates with high stage and grade in ccRCC (p < 0.001 each). Both SRC and AXL expression were independent prognostic parameters in multivariate analysis (p < 0.05). MET expression is associated with longer survival in pRCC (p < 0.05). Our TCGA data analysis aligns with SRC immunohistochemistry findings on tumor stage and shorter survival in ccRCC. TCGA expression data showed a moderate positive correlation between AXL and c-MET in pRCC. In addition, we identified alternative splicing events reported for AXL in pRCC, and MET and SRC in ccRCC, across various alternative splicing databases. In conclusion, we identified high SRC expression as a biomarker for poor prognosis of ccRCC. Our data demonstrate c-MET, AXL, and SRC signaling pathway interactions independent of c-MET, AXL, and SRC mutations in ccRCC.

Indexed as

Alternative SplicingBiomarkers, TumorCarcinoma, Renal CellKidney NeoplasmsMutationProto-Oncogene ProteinsReceptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinasessrc-Family KinasesAdultAgedAxl Receptor Tyrosine KinaseFemaleHumansImmunohistochemistryKaplan-Meier EstimateMaleAXL protein, humanAxl Receptor Tyrosine KinaseBiomarkers, TumorProto-Oncogene ProteinsProto-Oncogene Proteins c-metReceptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinasessrc-Family Kinasesgene expressionrenal cell carcinomatyrosine kinase inhibitor

Identifiers

PMID40260977
PMCPMC12012843

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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 OpenQuestion graph.