Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41535258›Full record

ArticleSignal transduction and targeted therapy2026

The dysadherin/carbonic anhydrase 9 axis shapes an acidic tumor microenvironment to promote colorectal cancer progression.

Choong-Jae Lee, Hyeon-Ji Yun, Tae-Young Jang, So-El Jeon, Yeong-Hoon Cho, Da-Ye Lim, Eun-Ju Han, Sun-Young Kong, Jeong-Seok Nam

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Signal transduction and targeted therapy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing 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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Recent progress in small molecules targeting the acidic tumor microenvironment.Journal of enzyme inhibition and medicinal chemistry · 2026
    Review
  2. Article
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

9 authors.

Choong-Jae Lee *Department of Life Sciences, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, Republic of Korea.
Hyeon-Ji Yun *Department of Life Sciences, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, Republic of Korea.
Tae-Young JangDepartment of Life Sciences, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, Republic of Korea.
So-El JeonDepartment of Life Sciences, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, Republic of Korea.
Yeong-Hoon ChoDepartment of Life Sciences, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, Republic of Korea.
Da-Ye LimDepartment of Life Sciences, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, Republic of Korea.
Eun-Ju HanDepartment of Life Sciences, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, Republic of Korea.
Sun-Young KongTargeted Therapy Branch, Research Institute, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Republic of Korea.
Jeong-Seok NamDepartment of Life Sciences, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, Republic of Korea. namje@gist.ac.kr.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9753-6095

Funding

National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) RS-2023-NR077237National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) RS-2024-00411137National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) RS-2024-00441157
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a central role in cancer progression and metastasis. A key feature of the TME is extracellular acidity, which promotes disease progression, immune evasion, and drug resistance. Tumor acidity is increasingly recognized as a critical factor in cancer development and a negative prognostic indicator. Here, we demonstrate that the membrane glycoprotein dysadherin promotes colorectal cancer (CRC) malignancy by modulating TME acidity. Comprehensive bioinformatics and pathological analyses of CRC patient samples revealed that increased tumor acidity is a hallmark of CRC progression and strongly correlates with high expression of dysadherin. Functional studies confirmed that dysadherin enhances malignant traits, particularly under acidic conditions. Mechanistically, dysadherin activates the integrin/FAK/STAT3 signaling pathway, leading to the upregulation of carbonic anhydrase 9 (CA9). CA9 facilitates proton export, contributing to extracellular acidification while maintaining intracellular pH homeostasis, thereby enabling cancer cells to survive and thrive in acidic environments. In a murine liver metastasis model, dysadherin deletion impaired cellular adaptation to the acidic TME and markedly attenuated metastatic colonization, whereas restoring CA9 expression effectively rescued metastatic potential. Overall, our findings identify the dysadherin/CA9 axis as a potential therapeutic target in CRC and provide new insights into how tumors exploit acidosis to drive malignant development and progression.

Indexed as

Antigens, NeoplasmCarbonic Anhydrase IXColorectal NeoplasmsLiver NeoplasmsMembrane GlycoproteinsNeoplasm ProteinsTumor MicroenvironmentAnimalsCell Line, TumorDisease ProgressionGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansHydrogen-Ion ConcentrationMiceSignal TransductionSTAT3 Transcription FactorAntigens, NeoplasmCA9 protein, humanCarbonic Anhydrase IXMembrane GlycoproteinsNeoplasm ProteinsSTAT3 Transcription Factor

Identifiers

PMID41535258
PMCPMC12804794

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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.