Birgit Leitinger

Loading metrics Open Access Peer-reviewed Research Article Citation: Hao Z, Leitinger B (2025) Warburg-Cinotti disease variant p.Tyr740Cys enhances catalytic activity of DDR2 kinase. PLoS One 20(11): e0336895. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0336895 Editor: Jianhong Zhou, PLOS: Public Library of Science, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Received: June 27, 2025; Accepted: October 30, 2025; Published: November 19, 2025 Copyright: © 2025 Hao, Leitinger.

The architecture of tumor collagen greatly influences tumor biology and therapeutic response. Two new studies identify tumor DDR1 as a central player in stromal collagen deposition and organization in the primary tumor and in disseminated tumor cells, resulting in immune exclusion or sustained dormancy, respectively. The tumor microenvironment, including its resident cells and structural components such as collagen fibers, influence cancer progression, metastasis and response to treatment1.

Significance Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) are proteins on the surface of animal cells that transmit signals into the cell. Binding of an extracellular signal protein to the RTK activates its intracellular enzyme (kinase). This process needs to be tightly controlled, as unwanted RTK activation can lead to disease. The discoidin domain receptors, DDR1 and DDR2, are unusual RTKs that are activated by a major structural protein, collagen.