Therapeutic potential of solute carrier transporters in cervical squamous cell carcinoma

Purpose: Cervical squamous cell carcinoma and endocervical adenocarcinoma (CESC) are major gynecological malignancies. Precision oncology seeks to tailor treatments by targeting tumor-specific molecular profiles. Solute carriers (SLCs), a superfamily of over 400 transport proteins in 65 families, regulate molecular transport and represent potential therapeutic targets.Methods: Transcriptomic and proteomic datasets from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Human Protein Atlas were analyzed to evaluate the role of SLC transporters in CESC.Results: Comparative profiling revealed significant upregulation of SLC64A1, SLC7A1, SLC25A24, and SLC11A2 in tumor tissues versus normal controls. Elevated expression of these SLC genes correlated with reduced overall and disease-specific survival. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis showed enrichment of oncogenic pathways associated with SLC overexpression, including epithelial-mesenchymal transition, hypoxia, angiogenesis, ATP-binding cassette transporter activity, and transforming growth factor-beta, Notch, and Hedgehog signaling. These findings suggest that SLC transporters facilitate tumor progression and metastasis.Conclusion: SLC transporters may serve as predictive biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Their inhibition could disrupt metabolic and nutrient pathways essential for CESC progression, offering novel opportunities to improve outcomes.