CXCL3 contributes to CD133+ CSCs maintenance and forms a positive feedback regulation loop with CD133 in HCC via Erk1/2 phosphorylation

Although the chemotactic cytokine CXCL3 is thought to play an important role in tumor initiation and invasion, little is known about its function in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In our previous study, we found that Ikaros inhibited CD133 expression via the MAPK pathway in HCC. Here, we showed that Ikaros may indirectly down-regulate CXCL3 expression in HCC cells, which leads to better outcomes in patients with CD133(+) cancer stem cell (CSC) populations. CD133 overexpression induced CXCL3 expression, and silencing of CD133 down-regulated CXCL3 in HCC cells. Knockdown of CXCL3 inhibited CD133(+) HCC CSCs' self-renewal and tumorigenesis. The serum CXCL3 level was higher in HCC patients' samples than that in healthy individual. HCC patients with higher CXCL3 expression displayed a poor prognosis, and a high level of CXCL3 was significantly associated with vascular invasion and tumor capsule formation. Exogenous CXCL3 induced Erk1/2 and ETS1 phosphorylation and promoted CD133 expression, indicating a positive feedback loop between CXCL3 and CD133 gene expression in HCC cells via Erk1/2 activation. Together, our findings indicated that CXCL3 might be a potent therapeutic target for HCC.