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Published on: January 22, 2013
Leptin Is Associated with Poor Clinical Outcomes and Promotes Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma Progression
Wen-Lang Fan1, Yuan-Ming Yeh1, Tsung-Ta Liu2
1Genomic Medicine Core Laboratory, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou 33305, Taiwan.
Leptin promotes renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cell migration and is linked to poor patient outcomes. This study reveals leptin activates the planar cell polarity/JNK signaling pathway, driving cancer progression.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Genomics
Background:
- Leptin, a hormone, has emerging roles in cancer progression.
- Leptin's prognostic significance in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is suggested by transcriptomic data.
- The specific biological effects of leptin on RCC progression remain underexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the correlation between leptin levels and clinical outcomes in RCC patients.
- To explore the biological mechanisms by which leptin influences RCC progression.
- To identify leptin-regulated pathways involved in RCC cell migration.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of clinical and transcriptomic data from 603 RCC patients (TCGA).
- Cox regression analyses, cell migration assays upon leptin treatment, and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA).
- Investigation of Wnt5a, ROR2, and Jun N-terminal Kinases (JNK) pathway activation and gene expression.
Main Results:
- High leptin levels correlated with poor clinical outcomes in RCC patients.
- Leptin treatment induced RCC cell migration, mediated by the planar cell polarity (PCP)/JNK signaling pathway.
- Upregulation of PCP/JNK pathway genes (e.g., WNT5A, ROR2) was observed in high-leptin RCC, associated with unfavorable outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Leptin has a significant prognostic impact on renal cell carcinoma.
- Leptin promotes RCC cell migration through the activation of the PCP/JNK signaling pathway.
- Targeting leptin-mediated signaling pathways may offer therapeutic strategies for RCC.
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