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Updated: Jun 25, 2026
09:43
Isolation, Culture, and Characterization of Prostate Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts
Published on: August 1, 2025
Prostatic fibroblast reprogramming by Interleukin-30 activates prostate cancer metastasis programs.
Stefania Livia Ciummo1,2, Carlo Sorrentino1,2, Simona Marchetti1,2
1Department of Medicine and Sciences of Aging, "G. d'Annunzio" University of Chieti-Pescara, Via dei Vestini, Chieti, 66100, Italy.
Molecular Biomedicine
|June 24, 2026
Summary
Interleukin 30 (IL-30) produced by prostate cancer cells reprograms fibroblasts, driving tumor progression and therapeutic resistance. Targeting this IL-30 signaling axis may offer new strategies against aggressive prostate cancer.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Cancer Research
Background:
- Prostate cancer (PC) progression is driven by therapeutic resistance and tumor-stroma interactions.
- The molecular mechanisms of cancer-fibroblast crosstalk, especially involving Interleukin (IL)-30, are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the role of IL-30 in prostate cancer progression and fibroblast reprogramming.
- To investigate the reciprocal signaling between PC cells and stromal fibroblasts mediated by IL-30.
Main Methods:
- Utilized cell co-culture models and a two-organ-on-chip platform.
- Analyzed signaling pathways including AKT, TGF-β/BMP, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) regulators.
- Correlated gene expression with clinical bone metastasis datasets.
Main Results:
- IL-30 from PC cells reprograms fibroblasts into pro-angiogenic cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) via IL6Rα/gp130 signaling.
- Fibroblasts enhance PC cell migration and colonization, with IL-30 overexpression potentiating these effects.
- IL-30 overrides fibroblast-induced suppression of EMT, inducing key PC-associated genes linked to bone metastasis.
Conclusions:
- Identified a novel IL-30-driven tumor-stroma signaling axis promoting microenvironmental remodeling and metastatic progression in prostate cancer.
- IL-30 plays a critical role in mediating reciprocal crosstalk that fuels PC aggressiveness and therapeutic resistance.
- Targeting the IL-30 pathway presents a potential therapeutic strategy to combat advanced prostate cancer.
