KRAS-ERK signaling drives metastasis in colorectal cancer via phosphorylation-dependent activation of the ZBTB20-TGFBR2 axis
Our findings delineate a novel KRAS-ERK-ZBTB20-TGFBR2 signaling axis that is a critical driver of metastasis colonization in KRAS-mutant CRC. The robust efficacy of a TGFBR2 degrader in multiple in vivo models validates this axis as a viable therapeutic target, offering a promising strategy to inhibit metastatic progression in patients with this aggressive disease.
Authors
- X. Liu
- Q Liu
- Tao Shen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-3999-937X)
- Shanshan Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6089-9765)
- Qing Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3087-4692)
- Yongjie Wei
- Jieru Huang
- Silvia Vega-Rubín-de-Celis
- Runya Fang
- Zhijian Xu
- Zhe Zhang
- Wu Guo
Institutions
- Nanjing Tech University (CN)
- Fudan University (CN)
- Essen University Hospital (DE)
- First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University (CN)
- Shanghai East Hospital (CN)
- Guangzhou Medical University Cancer Hospital (CN)
- Guangzhou Medical University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research
- Published
- 2026-01-02
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s13046-025-03619-w
- Primary Topic
- Colorectal Cancer Treatments and Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00