Home General Physiology and Biophysics 2025 General Physiology and Biophysics Vol.44, No.4, p. 289–301, 2025

Journal info


Founded: 1982
ISSN 1338-4325 (online)
ISSN 0231-5882 (print)
Published in English,
6 times per year

Aims and Scope
Editorial Info
Submission Guidelines

Select Journal







Webshop Cart

Your Cart is currently empty.
Info: Your browser does not accept cookies. To put products into your cart and purchase them you need to enable cookies.

General Physiology and Biophysics Vol.44, No.4, p. 289–301, 2025

Title: PSPH promotes colorectal cancer growth by triggering autophagy through AMPK-ULK1 activation and enhancing tumor immune evasion
Author: Jiajia Guan, Jie Ji, Bisheng Sun, Jun Fu, Jie Luo, Bing Zhu
Abstract: Phosphoserine phosphatase (PSPH), a key enzyme in the L-serine synthesis pathway, has been found to promote cancer progression through autophagy modulation. Here, we explored the functional role and molecular mechanisms of PSPH in colorectal cancer (CRC). PSPH expression in CRC was evaluated using bioinformatics analysis, RT-qPCR, and Western blot. Functional assays including colony formation, transwell migration/invasion, and flow cytometry were performed. Molecular mechanisms were investigated using Western blot analysis of autophagy-, proliferation-, apoptosis-associated proteins and AMPK-ULK1 signaling components. The biological significance of PSPH was validated using xenograft models and tumor immune microenvironment analysis. We found that PSPH expression was elevated in CRC patients and correlated with poor prognosis. PSPH overexpression promoted CRC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion while suppressing apoptosis and PSPH knockdown produced opposite effects. PSPH overexpression activated AMPK-ULK1 signaling to induce protective autophagy in CRC cells. These oncogenic effects were abrogated by AMPK/ULK1 depletion or chloroquine-mediated autophagy inhibition. In vivo, PSPH overexpression accelerated CRC tumor growth and promoted tumor immune evasion by upregulating PD-L1 expression and reducing CD8+ T cell infiltration. Overall, our findings establish PSPH as a critical oncoprotein that drives CRC progression through AMPK-ULK1-mediated autophagy activation and immune evasion.
Keywords: Colorectal cancer — Phosphoserine phosphatase — Autophagy — Immune
Year: 2025, Volume: 44, Issue: 4 Page From: 289, Page To: 301
doi:10.4149/gpb_2025019


download file


© AEPress s.r.o
Copyright notice: For any permission to reproduce, archive or otherwise use the documents in the ELiS, please contact AEP.