본문으로 건너뛰기
← 뒤로

Pharmacological Targeting of Midkine (MDK) Reveals Stiffness-Dependent Control of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Invasiveness.

1/5 보강
International journal of molecular sciences 📖 저널 OA 100% 2021: 8/8 OA 2022: 38/38 OA 2023: 49/49 OA 2024: 103/103 OA 2025: 453/453 OA 2026: 454/454 OA 2021~2026 2026 Vol.27(4)
Retraction 확인
출처

Christou C, Agathangelou K, Dietis N, Stylianou A, Gkretsi V

📝 환자 설명용 한 줄

Metastasis accounts for most cancer-related deaths and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is no exception.

이 논문을 인용하기

↓ .bib ↓ .ris
APA Christou C, Agathangelou K, et al. (2026). Pharmacological Targeting of Midkine (MDK) Reveals Stiffness-Dependent Control of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Invasiveness.. International journal of molecular sciences, 27(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27041766
MLA Christou C, et al.. "Pharmacological Targeting of Midkine (MDK) Reveals Stiffness-Dependent Control of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Invasiveness.." International journal of molecular sciences, vol. 27, no. 4, 2026.
PMID 41751909 ↗

Abstract

Metastasis accounts for most cancer-related deaths and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is no exception. Midkine (MDK) is a multifunctional secreted protein elevated in HCC with a vague role in HCC. In this study, we used bioinformatics to verify MDK expression in HCC tumors, and next, we inhibited the MDK protein in invasive Hep3B cells using an MDK inhibitor (iMDK) both in vitro and in vivo. Our results showed that iMDK promoted cell migration and enhanced lamellipodia formation while at the same time downregulating the expression of cell-matrix adhesion genes. In order to also consider forces exerted by the surrounding matrix, we performed cell adhesion, transwell invasion, and 3D tumor spheroid invasion assays in two different stiffness conditions. Adhesion and invasion always exhibited opposite patterns, with adhesion being inhibited in soft matrix environments, accompanied by increased invasion, and a reverse effect in stiff environments. In vivo experiments where cells pre-treated with iMDK were implanted to zebrafish embryos showed overall reduced metastasis, verifying that MDK is a central mechanotransduction regulator that enables HCC cells to adapt their metastatic strategies to ECM stiffness. Thus, MDK inhibition effectively disrupts mechanosensitive coordination during metastasis, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target.

🏷️ 키워드 / MeSH 📖 같은 키워드 OA만

🏷️ 같은 키워드 · 무료전문 — 이 논문 MeSH/keyword 기반

🟢 PMC 전문 열기