Stanniocalcin 1 promotes metastasis by enhancing lipid metabolism via FOXC2/ITGB6 signaling axis in ovarian cancer

Stanniocalcin 1 (STC1) plays an integral role in the metastasis of ovarian cancer. However, the functional role of STC1 in lipid metabolism is not fully understood. Single-cell sequencing assays verified that STC1 expression was significantly enhanced in ovarian cancer tissues compared with para-carcinoma tissues, and it was further up-regulated in peritoneal metastasis tissues compared with tumor tissues. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that STC1 promoted cell proliferation and metastasis by enhancing lipid metabolism. Mechanistically, STC1 directly bound to integrin β6 (ITGB6) and activated the PI3K signaling pathway. Moreover, STC1 was directly regulated by FOXC2 and FOXC2 was up-regulated and positively correlated with STC1 in ovarian cancer. Notably, STC1 knockdown had a synergistic effect with cisplatin (DDP) chemotherapy.Overall, these findings reveal that STC1 increases metastasis by promoting lipid metabolism via the FOXC2/ITGB6 signaling axis and may be a potential target for chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer. Single-cell sequencing was performed to reveal STC1 expression profiles in patients’ tissues. Lipid metabolism and metastasis were tested subsequently. Cell-based in-vitro and in-vivo assays were subsequently conducted to gain insight into the underlying mechanism of STC1 in ovarian cancer.