Xing YR, Wang SF, Dai JJ, Xu XG, Mao WJ. Unlocking the metastatic switch: The RHEB-CSF1R complex ignites epithelial-mesenchymal transition in pancreatic cancer by autophagy. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2026; 18(8): 119680 [DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.v18.i8.119680]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Wen-Jun Mao, PhD, Professor, Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Affiliated Wuxi People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi People’s Hospital, Wuxi Medical Center, Nanjing Medical University, No. 299 Qingyang Road, Wuxi 214023, Jiangsu Province, China. maowenjun1@njmu.edu.cn
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
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review-article
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Xing YR, Wang SF, Dai JJ, Xu XG, Mao WJ. Unlocking the metastatic switch: The RHEB-CSF1R complex ignites epithelial-mesenchymal transition in pancreatic cancer by autophagy. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2026; 18(8): 119680 [DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.v18.i8.119680]
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Aug 15, 2026; 18(8): 119680 Published online Aug 15, 2026. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v18.i8.119680
Unlocking the metastatic switch: The RHEB-CSF1R complex ignites epithelial-mesenchymal transition in pancreatic cancer by autophagy
Ying-Ru Xing, Shu-Fen Wang, Jing-Jing Dai, Xiao-Guang Xu, Wen-Jun Mao
Ying-Ru Xing, Department of Blood Transfusion, Shanghai Pudong New Area People’s Hospital, Shanghai 201299, China
Shu-Fen Wang, Department of Medical Laboratory, Shanghai Pudong New Area People’s Hospital, Shanghai 201299, China
Jing-Jing Dai, Department of Medical Laboratory, The Affiliated Huai’an No. 1 People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Huai’an 223300, Jiangsu Province, China
Xiao-Guang Xu, Research Center of High Altitude Medicine, People’s Hospital of Naqu Affiliated to Dalian Medical University, Naqu 852000, Xizang Autonomous Region, China
Wen-Jun Mao, Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Affiliated Wuxi People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi People’s Hospital, Wuxi Medical Center, Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi 214023, Jiangsu Province, China
Co-corresponding authors: Jing-Jing Dai and Wen-Jun Mao.
Author contributions: Xing YR and Wang SF designed the format for writing the article, Dai JJ, Xu XG and Mao WJ revised the article. Dai JJ and Mao WJ contributed equally to this article, they are the co-first authors of this manuscript; and all authors thoroughly reviewed and endorsed the final manuscript.
Supported by the Key Research and Development and Transformation Project of Naqu City, No. NQKJ-2025-07; and the Voyage Plan Talent Training Program of Shanghai Pudong New Area People’s Hospital, No. PRYYH202501.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Wen-Jun Mao, PhD, Professor, Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Affiliated Wuxi People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi People’s Hospital, Wuxi Medical Center, Nanjing Medical University, No. 299 Qingyang Road, Wuxi 214023, Jiangsu Province, China. maowenjun1@njmu.edu.cn
Received: February 3, 2026 Revised: March 9, 2026 Accepted: May 6, 2026 Published online: August 15, 2026 Processing time: 181 Days and 16.8 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Pancreatic cancer is among the malignancies with the poorest outcome. The lethal nature of this disease stems not from primary tumor growth, often resectable in the minority of patients presenting with localized disease, but from early, occult dissemination to distant organs. Consequently, understanding and targeting the molecular machinery driving metastasis represents the paramount challenge in pancreatic cancer therapeutics. In a recent study identified a novel protein complex between Ras homolog enriched in brain and colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor that regulates autophagy and epithelial-mesenchymal transition to promote pancreatic cancer metastasis. This article critically examines the significance of these findings, contextualizes them within the current understanding of mammalian target of rapamycin biology and tumor microenvironment interactions, and proposes the direction of mechanism research and therapeutic transformation.
