Cancer-associated fibroblasts secrete hypoxia-induced serglycin to promote head and neck squamous cell carcinoma tumor cell growth in vitro and in vivo by activating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

Our data indicate that a hypoxic tumor stroma can lead to upregulation of SRGN expression. SRGN secreted by CAFs can promote β-catenin nuclear translocation to activate downstream signaling pathways, leading to enhanced HNSCC cell stemness, chemoresistance and accelerated tumor growth.