NCAPD3 promotes osteosarcoma progression by modulating macrophage polarization and tumor cell proliferation

Ruiling Xu; Binfeng Liu; Sai Zhu; Lin Qi; Lu Wan; Ruiqi Chen; Lu Wang; Xiaolei Ren; Zhihong Li

doi:10.1186/s12967-026-08168-0

NCAPD3 promotes osteosarcoma progression by modulating macrophage polarization and tumor cell proliferation

J Transl Med. 2026 May 9. doi: 10.1186/s12967-026-08168-0. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Ruiling Xu^#^{1

2

3}, Binfeng Liu^#^{1

2

3}, Sai Zhu^#^{1

2

3}, Lin Qi^{1

2

3}, Lu Wan^{1

2

3}, Ruiqi Chen^{1

2

3}, Lu Wang^{4

5

6}, Xiaolei Ren^{7

8

9

10}, Zhihong Li^{11

12

13}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Orthopedics, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No. 139 Renmin Road, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China.
² Hunan Key Laboratory of Tumor Models and Individualized Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China.
³ Hunan Engineering Research Center of AI Medical Equipment, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China.
⁴ Department of Orthopedics, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No. 139 Renmin Road, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China. wanglu@csu.edu.cn.
⁵ Hunan Key Laboratory of Tumor Models and Individualized Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China. wanglu@csu.edu.cn.
⁶ Hunan Engineering Research Center of AI Medical Equipment, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China. wanglu@csu.edu.cn.
⁷ Department of Orthopedics, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No. 139 Renmin Road, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China. 2204120114@csu.edu.cn.
⁸ Hunan Key Laboratory of Tumor Models and Individualized Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China. 2204120114@csu.edu.cn.
⁹ Hunan Engineering Research Center of AI Medical Equipment, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China. 2204120114@csu.edu.cn.
¹⁰ Greater Bay Area Institute of Precision Medicine (Guangzhou), Fudan University, Guangzhou, China. 2204120114@csu.edu.cn.
¹¹ Department of Orthopedics, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No. 139 Renmin Road, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China. lizhihong@csu.edu.cn.
¹² Hunan Key Laboratory of Tumor Models and Individualized Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China. lizhihong@csu.edu.cn.
¹³ Hunan Engineering Research Center of AI Medical Equipment, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China. lizhihong@csu.edu.cn.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 42106714
DOI: 10.1186/s12967-026-08168-0

Abstract

Background: Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary malignant bone tumor in children and adolescents, characterized by aggressive behavior and poor prognosis. Despite advances in multimodal therapies, outcomes for patients with metastatic or recurrent OS remain poor. Non-SMC Condensin II Complex Subunit D3 (NCAPD3) is a core component of the condensin II complex involved in chromosome condensation and segregation; however, its role in OS progression and the tumor immune microenvironment remains unclear.

Methods: Publicly available transcriptomic datasets were analyzed to evaluate NCAPD3 expression and prognostic relevance in OS. Using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq; n = 6), we characterized tumor cell heterogeneity and NCAPD3-expressing subsets within the osteosarcoma tumor microenvironment. In vitro, NCAPD3 knockdown was performed in RAW264.7 macrophages, primary murine macrophages, and THP-1-derived macrophages to assess changes in macrophage polarization markers at the transcriptional and protein levels. Functional assays, including conditioned-media experiments, evaluated tumor-macrophage crosstalk. The effects of NCAPD3 on osteosarcoma cell proliferation, migration, and tumor growth were assessed in vitro and in vivo. Pathway enrichment analyses were conducted in NCAPD3⁺ macrophages and tumor cells, and in silico drug sensitivity prediction was performed as an exploratory analysis.

Results: NCAPD3 was significantly overexpressed in OS tissues and associated with poorer overall survival. scRNA-seq analysis identified distinct tumor cell subsets and a population of NCAPD3⁺ macrophages characterized by reduced inflammatory activity. NCAPD3 knockdown in macrophages consistently upregulated pro-inflammatory markers and downregulated anti-inflammatory markers, indicating a shift toward a pro-inflammatory phenotype. Conditioned-media experiments demonstrated that NCAPD3-dependent tumor-macrophage crosstalk regulates osteosarcoma cell proliferation and migration. Pathway analyses revealed downregulation of IL2/STAT5 and IL6/JAK/STAT3 signaling in NCAPD3⁺ macrophages, while NCAPD3⁺ tumor cells exhibited reduced apoptotic signaling and enhanced DNA repair and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway activity. Functional assays confirmed that NCAPD3 promotes osteosarcoma cell growth and tumor progression in vitro and in vivo.

Conclusions: NCAPD3 promotes osteosarcoma progression through coordinated effects on tumor cell proliferation and suppression of macrophage-mediated inflammatory responses. These findings identify NCAPD3 as a context-dependent regulator of tumor-immune interactions in OS and support its potential as a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target.

Keywords: Immunotherapy; NCAPD3, Osteosarcoma, Macrophage polarization; Tumor progression.

Abstract

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