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Updated: Jun 28, 2025

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Published on: August 25, 2021
NTRK3 exhibits a pro-oncogenic function in upper tract urothelial carcinomas
Lee-Moay Lim1,2,3, Yi-Chen Lee4,5, Ting-Wei Lin1
1Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase 3 (NTRK3) promotes aggressive behaviors in upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). Higher NTRK3 expression correlates with worse patient survival and facilitates cancer cell migration and invasion via the AKT-mTOR pathway.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Cancer Research
Background:
- Neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase 3 (NTRK3) has known roles as an oncogene and tumor suppressor, but its function in upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is unclear.
- Understanding NTRK3's role in UTUC is crucial for developing targeted therapies and improving patient outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between NTRK3 expression and clinical outcomes in UTUC patients.
- To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying NTRK3's role in UTUC progression, focusing on cell migration, invasion, and signaling pathways.
Main Methods:
- Evaluated NTRK3 expression in 118 UTUC tissue samples.
- Utilized Kaplan-Meier estimates and Cox regression models for survival analysis.
- Performed Ingenuity Pathway Analysis and conducted gene manipulation (shRNA, overexpression) in UTUC cell lines (BFTC909, UM-UC-14) to assess pathway activity and cellular behavior.
Main Results:
- Higher NTRK3 expression was significantly correlated with worse progression-free survival, cancer-specific survival, and overall survival in UTUC patients.
- NTRK3 interacts with the PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling pathway.
- Downregulation of NTRK3 reduced migration, invasion, and AKT-mTOR pathway activity, while overexpression enhanced these effects in UTUC cell lines.
Conclusions:
- NTRK3 expression is a potential predictor of poor clinical outcomes in UTUC.
- NTRK3 promotes aggressive UTUC behaviors, including cell migration and invasion, by activating the AKT-mTOR pathway.
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