STK32C as a Therapeutic Target in Colorectal Cancer via HSP90-PI3K/AKT/mTOR Signaling. (PubMed, Int J Biol Sci)
Emerging evidence implicates serine/threonine kinase 32C (STK32C) overexpressed in bladder cancer and brain tissues acts as a molecular target for doxorubicin resistance, yet its role in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains unclear...Consistently, STK32C depletion or HSP90 N-terminal inhibitor Ganetespib reduced STK32C and p-AKT1, while the HSP90 C-terminal inhibitor, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) or AKT inhibitor LY294002 did not affect STK32C, implying that STK32C acts as an upstream of AKT. Furthermore, STK32C depletion enhanced 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) efficacy, with synergistic effects confirmed by CompuSyn and SynergyFinder analysis. In vivo, STK32C depletion reduced the growth of HCT116 cells in BALB/c mice with decreased expression of STK32C, HSP90, PCNA, and AKT and activated caspase 3. Overall, these findings suggest STK32C as a novel oncogenic driver in CRC that modulates HSP90 and PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling and highlights its potential as a therapeutic target alone or in combination with 5-FU.