Supplementary Figure 6 shows data from Ingenuity Pathway Analysis of colorectal cancer cells expressing NHE9, and the association between enrichment scores for Ca2+ signaling and NHE9 expression in colorectal cancer samples.
Funding
Wellcome Trust DBT India Alliance (India Alliance)
Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, India (DST)
ARTICLE ABSTRACT
Although suppressed cAMP levels have been linked to cancer for nearly five decades, the molecular basis remains uncertain. Here, we identify endosomal pH as a novel regulator of cytosolic cAMP homeostasis and a promoter of transformed phenotypic traits in colorectal cancer. Combining experiments and computational analysis, we show that the Na+/H+ exchanger NHE9 contributes to proton leak and causes luminal alkalinization, which induces resting [Ca2+], and in consequence, represses cAMP levels, creating a feedback loop that echoes nutrient deprivation or hypoxia. Higher NHE9 expression in cancer epithelia is associated with a hybrid epithelial–mesenchymal (E/M) state, poor prognosis, tumor budding, and invasive growth in vitro and in vivo. These findings point to NHE9-mediated cAMP suppression as a pseudostarvation-induced invasion state and potential therapeutic vulnerability in colorectal cancer. Our observations lay the groundwork for future research into the complexities of endosome-driven metabolic reprogramming and phenotype switching and the biology of cancer progression.
Endosomal pH regulator NHE9 actively controls cytosolic Ca2+ levels to downregulate the adenylate cyclase–cAMP system, enabling colorectal cancer cells to acquire hybrid E/M characteristics and promoting metastatic progression.
