{
  "abstract": "Lenvatinib has been approved by the FDA as a front-line treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but its survival benefits are limited by acquired drug resistance. In this study, we investigate the mechanisms underlying lenvatinib resistance in HCC by establishing lenvatinib-resistant (LenR) patient-derived tumor xenograft (PDTX) and analyzing their genetic profiles via single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). Through single-cell regulatory network inference and clustering (SCENIC) analysis, we find that Annexin A1 (ANXA1) is significantly enriched in LenR HCC clusters. Using knockdown and overexpression strategies, we demonstrate the critical role of ANXA1 in regulating cancer stemness-driven lenvatinib resistance. ANXA1 mediates resistance by regulating S100A6 expression, while its expression is regulated by SOX2 via promoter activation, forming a positive feedback loop with STAT3. Notably, we reveal that ANXA1 secreted from LenR HCC cells reshapes the tumor microenvironment (TME) by inducing M2 macrophage polarization via FPR2 binding and activation of ERK and NF-κB signaling, leading to decreased T cell infiltration. Targeting ANXA1 via an adeno-associated virus serotype 8 (AAV8) approach improves lenvatinib efficacy in our LenR Tp53KO/MycOE HCC mouse model, accompanied by the suppression of an immunosuppressive TME. In conclusion, HCC-derived ANXA1 regulates lenvatinib resistance both intrinsically and extrinsically. Targeting the SOX2/ANXA1/STAT3/S100A6 positive loop may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for HCC treatment.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China",
    "State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Biotechnology Center, School of Pharmacy, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China",
    "Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China",
    "Affiliated Cancer Hospital Institute of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou Municipal and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Protein Modification and Degradation, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China",
    "State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China",
    "Xi’an Boxin Zhida Biotechnology Co. Ltd, Xi’an, China",
    "Clinical Cancer Institute, Center for Translational Medicine, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China",
    "Department of Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China",
    "School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China",
    "State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China",
    "Research Institute for Future Food, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 16,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Catherine Yu Jia Gu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Carmen Oi Ning Leung",
      "orcid": "0009-0000-3878-7150"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Rainbow Wing Hei Leung"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Wing Ki Chau"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Martina Mang Leng Lei",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1342-7105"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yi Tian Chen"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Sze Man Chan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Gregory Kenneth Muliawan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Yuan Gao"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Qian Qian Yu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3,
        4
      ],
      "name": "Ming Liu",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-3222-8715"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Xiao Qi Wu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Jin Ding",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-7183-4609"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7
      ],
      "name": "Xin Wang",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-5122-2418"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8,
        9
      ],
      "name": "Stephanie Ma",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-2029-7943"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        10
      ],
      "name": "Terence Kin Wah Lee",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-0682-322X"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/a61dhnjbpfzj6.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1038/s41419-026-09118-w",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13696695/",
  "id": "a61dhnjbpfzj6",
  "issns": [
    "2041-4889"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41419-026-09118-w",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
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      "heading",
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      "2721|Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treatment and Prognosis"
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  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13696695?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13696695",
  "pmid": "42928059",
  "published": "2026-07-29",
  "publisher": "Nature Publishing Group",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/a61dhnjbpfzj6.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:00Z",
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      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41419-026-09118-w"
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2721|Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treatment and Prognosis",
      "subfield": "general"
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  ],
  "title": "Tumor-derived annexin A1 drives lenvatinib resistance by regulating SOX2/STAT3/S100A6 feedback loop and M2 macrophage polarization in hepatocellular carcinoma",
  "title_text": "Tumor-derived annexin A1 drives lenvatinib resistance by regulating SOX2/STAT3/S100A6 feedback loop and M2 macrophage polarization in hepatocellular carcinoma",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:33:59Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/a61dhnjbpfzj6",
  "venue": "Cell Death & Disease",
  "versions": []
}