PAK2 promotes CTC cluster formation by phosphorylating E-cadherin to enhance cell-cell adhesion in breast cancer
Lihuang Guo, Jiancheng Li, Wenxing Zhu, Zhuo Wang, Youyou Huang, Zhengyang Sun, Yue Huang, Keqian Xu · 2025
Read PAK2 promotes CTC cluster formation by phosphorylating E-cadherin to enhance cell-cell adhesion in breast cancer by Lihuang Guo, Jiancheng Li, Wenxing Zhu, Zhuo Wang, Youyou Huang, Zhengyang Sun, Yue Huang, Keqian Xu (2025) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-12829041.txt.
Description
Lihuang Guo and co-authors found a kinase that helps breast cancer cells travel in clumps, in a 2025 study. Tumor cells shed into the blood spread cancer far better as clusters than alone, yet what glues them together was unclear. Mining gene data from single cells and clusters pointed to the kinase PAK2, already tied to advanced tumors. Clustered cells showed stronger cell-cell adhesion programs.
Lab and mouse work confirmed the lead: PAK2 tags the adhesion protein E-cadherin with a phosphate, tightening the bonds between cells. Blocking the kinase family with a drug in mice tested the treatment angle. The chain names both a driver of spread and a possible point of attack.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Lihuang Guo, Jiancheng Li, Wenxing Zhu, Zhuo Wang, Youyou Huang, Zhengyang Sun, Yue Huang, Keqian Xu |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2025 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 48 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |