Amphiregulin and Epiregulin Confer Radioresistance in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Through Oxidative Phosphorylation. (PubMed, Adv Sci (Weinh))
Functional experiments demonstrated that radioresistant ESCC cells (KYSE410R) exhibited elevated OXPHOS activity, which is reversed by targeting TCA cycle enzymes (CPI-613 (Devimistat), fumarate hydratase-IN-1 (FH-IN-1), etc.) or Oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) inhibitors (IACS-010759, Rotenone, etc.). Clinically, high Amphiregulin/Epiregulin (AREG/EREG) levels correlated with nCRT resistance and poor prognosis. Collectively, the CEBPB/AREG/EREG axis drives radioresistance by reprogramming OXPHOS, suggesting inhibition of this pathway or OXPHOS itself as a promising strategy to enhance ESCC therapeutic responses.