{"paper_id":"237207e8-7123-43ee-9015-c77dafc07459","body_text":"Abstract\nSLC44A4 is involved in the transmembrane transport of choline and other organic cations, influencing phospholipid metabolism in cell membranes and potentially participating in immune regulation. Ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC), often diagnosed at advanced stages, exhibits poor responsiveness to conventional surgery and chemotherapy. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify new biomarkers that can provide insights into the mechanisms underlying its onset and progression.To investigate the impact of SLC44A4 overexpression on the biological behavior of OCCC cells and to explore the underlying mechanisms.The effects of SLC44A4 on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of OCCC cells were assessed using CCK-8, colony formation, scratch, and Transwell assays. The impact of SLC44A4 on the extracellular matrix and PI3K/Akt signaling pathway was evaluated by Western blotting.SLC44A4 inhibited the proliferation and migration of OCCC cells in vitro, altered the extracellular matrix, and may inhibit the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.SLC44A4 overexpression can alter the tumor microenvironment and inhibit the malignant progression of ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC) by remodeling its extracellular matrix. These findings suggest that SLC44A4 may serve as a potential biomarker for evaluating the prognosis of OCCC.\nSimilar content being viewed by others\nData availability\nData will be made available upon reasonable request.\nReferences\nAltalbawy FMA et al (2025) Interactions in hepatic tumor microenvironment: potential targets and modulations for effective therapy. 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Clin Transl Oncol 26:653–663\nFunding\nThis work was supported by grants from the Qingdao Natural Science Foundation (Project No. 23-2-192-zyyd-jch), the Research project of Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, the Heathcod-Merck Cancer Research Fund (Application No. Y-MSDZD2022-0442) and the public hospital for the financial support of high-quality scientific research projects.\nAuthor information\nAuthors and Affiliations\nContributions\nK.J.S, Q.Y and T.L designed and conceived the study. W.Y.S and T.L performed experiments and analyzed data. H.F.C. provided advice and technical assistance. S.L.L drafted the manuscript. X.J.W. completed and revised the manuscript. All authors have contributed to and approved the final manuscript.\nCorresponding authors\nEthics declarations\nCompeting interests\nThe authors declare no competing interests.\nAdditional information\nPublisher’s note\nSpringer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.\nRights and permissions\nSpringer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.\nAbout this article\nCite this article\nLi, T., Song, W., Liu, S. et al. SLC44A4 modulates the extracellular matrix through the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, thereby affecting the proliferation, migration, and invasion of ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC). Cytotechnology 78, 17 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10616-025-00881-w\nReceived:\nAccepted:\nPublished:\nVersion of record:\nDOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10616-025-00881-w","source_license":"CC0","license_restricted":false}