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Cathepsin S Evokes PAR2-Dependent Pain in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients and Preclinical Mouse Models.

Cancers | 2021

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) pain is more prevalent and severe than pain generated by any other form of cancer. We previously showed that protease-activated receptor-2 (PAR2) contributes to oral SCC pain. Cathepsin S is a lysosomal cysteine protease released during injury and disease that can activate PAR2. We report here a role for cathepsin S in PAR2-dependent cancer pain. We report that cathepsin S was more active in human oral SCC than matched normal tissue, and in an orthotopic xenograft tongue cancer model than normal tongue. The multiplex immunolocalization of cathepsin S in human oral cancers suggests that carcinoma and macrophages generate cathepsin S in the oral cancer microenvironment. After cheek or paw injection, cathepsin S evoked nociception in wild-type mice but not in mice lacking PAR2 in Nav1.8-positive neurons (Par2Nav1.8), nor in mice treated with LY3000328 or an endogenous cathepsin S inhibitor (cystatin C). The human oral SCC cell line (HSC-3) with homozygous deletion of the gene for cathepsin S (CTSS) with CRISPR/Cas9 provoked significantly less mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia, as did those treated with LY3000328, compared to the control cancer mice. Our results indicate that cathepsin S is activated in oral SCC, and that cathepsin S contributes to cancer pain through PAR2 on neurons.

Pubmed ID: 34572924 RIS Download

Associated grants

  • Agency: NIDCR NIH HHS, United States
    Id: R01 DE029694
  • Agency: NIDCR NIH HHS, United States
    Id: K23 DE029844
  • Agency: NIH HHS, United States
    Id: DE029951
  • Agency: NIH HHS, United States
    Id: NS102722
  • Agency: NIDCR NIH HHS, United States
    Id: R01 DE026806
  • Agency: NIH HHS, United States
    Id: DK118971
  • Agency: NIH HHS, United States
    Id: DE026806

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