Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42681676›Full record

ArticleBiomarker research2026

Targeting breast cancer stem cells by restoring RBM38 function: mechanism and protein delivery therapy.

Jun Yin, Ting Wang, Xuedan Han, Ying Chen, Yue Yang, Yifan Yang, Yidong Zhang, Yu Lu, Miaomiao Niu, Shengtao Xu and 5 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Biomarker research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

15 authors.

Jun Yin *School of Life Science and Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Draggability of Biopharmaceuticals and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Drug Quality Control and Pharmacovigilance, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Road, Nanjing, 211198, China.
Ting Wang *School of Life Science and Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Draggability of Biopharmaceuticals and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Drug Quality Control and Pharmacovigilance, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Road, Nanjing, 211198, China.
Xuedan Han *School of Life Science and Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Draggability of Biopharmaceuticals and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Drug Quality Control and Pharmacovigilance, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Road, Nanjing, 211198, China.
Ying ChenSchool of Life Science and Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Draggability of Biopharmaceuticals and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Drug Quality Control and Pharmacovigilance, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Road, Nanjing, 211198, China.
Yue YangSchool of Life Science and Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Draggability of Biopharmaceuticals and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Drug Quality Control and Pharmacovigilance, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Road, Nanjing, 211198, China.
Yifan YangSchool of Life Science and Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Draggability of Biopharmaceuticals and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Drug Quality Control and Pharmacovigilance, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Road, Nanjing, 211198, China.
Yidong ZhangQueen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.
Yu LuSchool of Life Science and Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Draggability of Biopharmaceuticals and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Drug Quality Control and Pharmacovigilance, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Road, Nanjing, 211198, China.
Miaomiao NiuSchool of Life Science and Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Draggability of Biopharmaceuticals and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Drug Quality Control and Pharmacovigilance, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Road, Nanjing, 211198, China.
Shengtao XuSchool of Life Science and Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Draggability of Biopharmaceuticals and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Drug Quality Control and Pharmacovigilance, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Road, Nanjing, 211198, China.
Haibo RongJiangsu Cancer Hospital & Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research & The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210009, China.
Lei HuangDepartment of Molecular Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA. lei.huang@umassmed.edu.
Chenxi XiangDepartment of Pathology, The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, 221002, China. hejubu@foxmail.com.
Xiaoman LiJiangsu Key Laboratory for Pharmacology and Safety Research of Chinese Materia Medica, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 138 Xianlin Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 210023, China. lixm@njucm.edu.cn.
Lufeng ZhengSchool of Life Science and Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Draggability of Biopharmaceuticals and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Drug Quality Control and Pharmacovigilance, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Road, Nanjing, 211198, China. zhlf@cpu.edu.cn.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2183-4974

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China 82473955, 82574740, 82003165
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Breast cancer stemness drives tumor progression and therapy resistance, yet the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we observed that RBM38 expression gradually decreases during breast cancer progression in MMTV-PyMT transgenic mice. Using a model with targeted RBM38 expression in breast tissue, we found it suppressed tumor initiation, decreased tumor size and metastasis, and reduced breast cancer stem cells. Multi-omics analyses, including single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, RIP-sequencing, and proteomics, were used to reveal the mechanisms. We identified HOXD10 mRNA as a critical downstream target of RBM38. Phosphorylation of RBM38 at Ser117, Thr120, and Thr132 by SLK and PGAM5 is required for RBM38-mediated stemness suppression, protein complex formation, and HOXD10 mRNA regulation. Based on these insights, we explored RBM38's therapeutic potential using an activatable supercharged polypeptide (ASCP) delivery platform. In patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models, ASCP-RBM38 achieved effective tumor localization, reduced stemness, and protected against doxorubicin (DOX)-induced cardiotoxicity. Clinical analysis of human samples validated this mechanism. Our study underscores the pivotal role of phosphorylation-mediated regulation and protein complex formation in RBM38-mediated control of breast cancer stemness, highlighting its therapeutic potential.

Indexed as

Breast cancer stemnessOxidative modulationPhosphorylationRBM38RNA binding protein

Identifiers

PMID42681676
PMCPMC13536654

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