AbstractLymph node metastasis (LNM), a common metastatic gastric-cancer (GC) route, is closely related to poor prognosis in GC patients. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) preferentially engraft at metastatic lesions. Whether BM-MSCs are specifically reprogrammed by LNM-derived GC cells (LNM-GCs) and incorporated into metastatic LN microenvironment to prompt GC malignant progression remains unknown. Herein, we found that LNM-GCs specifically educated BM-MSCs via secretory exosomes. Exosomal Wnt5a was identified as key protein mediating LNM-GCs education of BM-MSCs, which was verified by analysis of serum exosomes collected from GC patients with LNM. Wnt5a-enriched exosomes induced YAP dephosphorylation in BM-MSCs, whereas Wnt5a-deficient exosomes exerted the opposite effect. Inhibition of YAP signaling by verteporfin blocked LNM-GC exosome- and serum exosome-mediated reprogramming in BM-MSCs. Analysis of MSC-like cells obtained from metastatic LN tissues of GC patients (GLN-MSCs) confirmed that BM-MSCs incorporated into metastatic LN microenvironment, and that YAP activation participated in maintaining their tumor-promoting phenotype and function. Collectively, our results show that LNM-GCs specifically educated BM-MSCs via exosomal Wnt5a-elicited activation of YAP signaling. This study provides new insights into the mechanisms of LNM in GC and BM-MSC reprogramming, and will provide potential therapeutic targets and detection indicators for GC patients with LNM.
Evaluation of the expression of bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells and cancer‐associated fibroblasts in the stroma of gastric cancer tissue
