Targeting LTBP2 Derived from Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts Sensitizes Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma to Chemotherapy

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are pivotal constituents of the tumor microenvironment that significantly influence cancer aggressiveness through the secretion of various factors. A more detailed characterization of the specific secretions exclusive to CAFs that drive tumor progression could identify potential targets to perturb this intracellular crosstalk. Here, we identified latent transforming growth factor ß binding protein 2 (LTBP2) as a unique protein secreted exclusively by esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) CAFs that promotes metastasis and chemoresistance. LTBP2 exerted its oncogenic effects by interacting with integrin a6ß4, which serves as a functional receptor, and thereby activating Src signaling in ESCC cells. Notably, targeting LTBP2 with specific antagonistic antibodies markedly increased the susceptibility of ESCC cells to chemotherapeutic agents. These findings highlight the pivotal role of LTBP2 as a crucial mediator of CAF-induced cancer cell aggression and introduce it as a promising target to enhance chemotherapeutic efficacy in ESCC. Overall design: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and normal fibroblasts (NFs) were isolated from surgically resected ESCC and adjacent normal tissues of 3 ESCC patients. Gene expression profiles were generated using RNA-seq on the Illumina NovaSeq 6000 platform