scholarly journals The HDL particle composition determines its anti-tumor activity in pancreatic cancer

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raimund Bauer ◽  
Kristina Maria Kuehrer ◽  
Florian Udonta ◽  
Mark Wroblewski ◽  
Isabel Ben-Batalla ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Chemotherapy Resistance ◽  
Density Lipoprotein ◽  
Hdl Cholesterol ◽  
Ductal Adenocarcinoma ◽  
Cholesterol Depletion ◽  
Particle Composition

Pancreatic cancer is expected to become the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the next decade as a result of late diagnosis, a highly fibrotic tumor microenvironment and rapidly emerging resistance mechanisms. Previous research identified lipid metabolic pathways to be highly enriched in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells. Thereby, cholesterol uptake and synthesis promoted a growth advantage to, and chemotherapy resistance for PDAC tumor cells. We demonstrate that efficient cholesterol removal from cancer cells by high-density lipoprotein (HDL) mediated efflux, results in a significant PDAC cell growth reduction, apoptosis and a decreased PDAC tumor development in vivo. This effect is driven by an HDL particle composition-dependent interaction with major lipid flux receptors expressed on cancer cells, ABCA1 and SRB1. Eventually, we show that pancreatic cancer patient plasma samples display reduced levels of HDL-cholesterol and reduced cholesterol efflux capacity. Thus, cholesterol depletion from PDAC cells, together with interventions that shunt the import and endogenous synthesis pathways of cholesterol, might represent a promising strategy to increase the currently available treatment options for PDAC patients.

scholarly journals NR5A2 transcriptional activation by BRD4 promotes pancreatic cancer progression by upregulating GDF15

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Guo ◽  
Yingke Zhou ◽  
Hui Guo ◽  
Dianyun Ren ◽  
Xin Jin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Cancer Progression ◽  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Ductal Adenocarcinoma ◽  
Pancreatic Cancer Cells ◽  
Gene Sets ◽  
And Migration

AbstractNR5A2 is a transcription factor regulating the expression of various oncogenes. However, the role of NR5A2 and the specific regulatory mechanism of NR5A2 in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are not thoroughly studied. In our study, Western blotting, real-time PCR, and immunohistochemistry were conducted to assess the expression levels of different molecules. Wound-healing, MTS, colony formation, and transwell assays were employed to evaluate the malignant potential of pancreatic cancer cells. We demonstrated that NR5A2 acted as a negative prognostic biomarker in PDAC. NR5A2 silencing inhibited the proliferation and migration abilities of pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. While NR5A2 overexpression markedly promoted both events in vitro. We further identified that NR5A2 was transcriptionally upregulated by BRD4 in pancreatic cancer cells and this was confirmed by Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and ChIP-qPCR. Besides, transcriptome RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) was performed to explore the cancer-promoting effects of NR5A2, we found that GDF15 is a component of multiple down-regulated tumor-promoting gene sets after NR5A2 was silenced. Next, we showed that NR5A2 enhanced the malignancy of pancreatic cancer cells by inducing the transcription of GDF15. Collectively, our findings suggest that NR5A2 expression is induced by BRD4. In turn, NR5A2 activates the transcription of GDF15, promoting pancreatic cancer progression. Therefore, NR5A2 and GDF15 could be promising therapeutic targets in pancreatic cancer.

scholarly journals Anticancer Effect of Heparin–Taurocholate Conjugate on Orthotopically Induced Exocrine and Endocrine Pancreatic Cancer

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 5775
Author(s):  
Hae Hyun Hwang ◽  
Hee Jeong Jeong ◽  
Sangwu Yun ◽  
Youngro Byun ◽  
Teruo Okano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Endothelial Cells ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Tumor Model ◽  
Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor ◽  
Tube Formation ◽  
Ductal Adenocarcinoma ◽  
Orthotopic Model ◽  
Anticancer Efficacy

Pancreatic cancers are classified based on where they occur, and are grouped into those derived from exocrine and those derived from neuroendocrine tumors, thereby experiencing different anticancer effects under medication. Therefore, it is necessary to develop anticancer drugs that can inhibit both types. To this end, we developed a heparin–taurocholate conjugate, i.e., LHT, to suppress tumor growth via its antiangiogenic activity. Here, we conducted a study to determine the anticancer efficacy of LHT on pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (PNET), in an orthotopic animal model. LHT reduced not only proliferation of cancer cells, but also attenuated the production of VEGF through ERK dephosphorylation. LHT effectively reduced the migration, invasion and tube formation of endothelial cells via dephosphorylation of VEGFR, ERK1/2, and FAK protein. Especially, these effects of LHT were much stronger on PNET (RINm cells) than PDAC (PANC1 and MIA PaCa-2 cells). Eventually, LHT reduced ~50% of the tumor weights and tumor volumes of all three cancer cells in the orthotopic model, via antiproliferation of cancer cells and antiangiogenesis of endothelial cells. Interestingly, LHT had a more dominant effect in the PNET-induced tumor model than in PDAC in vivo. Collectively, these findings demonstrated that LHT could be a potential antipancreatic cancer medication, regardless of pancreatic cancer types.

scholarly journals Metabolic plasticity imparts erlotinib-resistance in pancreatic cancer by upregulating glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Neha Sharma ◽  
Alok Bhushan ◽  
Jun He ◽  
Gagan Kaushal ◽  
Vikas Bhardwaj
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Drug Resistance ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Pentose Phosphate ◽  
Metabolic Phenotype ◽  
Ductal Adenocarcinoma ◽  
Pancreatic Cancer Cells ◽  
Glucose 6 Phosphate Dehydrogenase ◽  
Resistant Cells

Abstract Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most malignant forms of cancer. Lack of effective treatment options and drug resistance contributes to the low survival among PDAC patients. In this study, we investigated the metabolic alterations in pancreatic cancer cells that do not respond to the EGFR inhibitor erlotinib. We selected erlotinib-resistant pancreatic cancer cells from MiaPaCa2 and AsPC1 cell lines. Metabolic profiling of erlotinib-resistant cells revealed a significant downregulation of glycolytic activity and reduced level of glycolytic metabolites compared to the sensitive cells. The resistant cells displayed elevated expression of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) enzymes involved in ROS regulation and nucleotide biosynthesis. The enhanced PPP elevated cellular NADPH/NADP+ ratio and protected the cells from reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced damage. Inhibition of PPP using 6-aminonicotinamide (6AN) elevated ROS levels, induced G1 cell cycle arrest, and sensitized resistant cells to erlotinib. Genetic studies identified elevated PPP enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) as an important contributor to erlotinib resistance. Mechanistically, our data showed that upregulation of inhibitor of differentiation (ID1) regulates G6PD expression in resistant cells thus contributing to altered metabolic phenotype and reduced response to erlotinib. Together, our results highlight an underlying role of tumor metabolism in PDAC drug response and identify G6PD as a target to overcome drug resistance.

scholarly journals Targeted intervention of eIF4A1 inhibits EMT and metastasis of pancreatic cancer cells via c-MYC/miR-9 signaling

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuchong Zhao ◽  
Yun Wang ◽  
Wei Chen ◽  
Shuya Bai ◽  
Wang Peng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
The Cancer Genome Atlas ◽  
Ductal Adenocarcinoma ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Early Metastasis ◽  
Pancreatic Cancer Cells ◽  
E Cadherin

Abstract Background Owing to the lack of effective treatment options, early metastasis remains the major cause of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) recurrence and mortality. However, the molecular mechanism of early metastasis is largely unknown. We characterized the function of eukaryotic translation initiation factors (eIFs) in epithelial-mesenchymal-transition (EMT) and metastasis in pancreatic cancer cells to investigate whether eIFs and downstream c-MYC affect EMT and metastasis by joint interference. Methods We used The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Genome Tissue Expression (GTEx) databases to analyze eIF4A1 expression in PDAC tissues and further validated the findings with a microarray containing 53 PDAC samples. Expression regulation and pharmacological inhibition of eIF4A1 and c-MYC were performed to determine their role in migration, invasion, and metastasis in pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Results Elevated eIF4A1 expression was positively correlated with lymph node infiltration, tumor size, and indicated a poor prognosis. eIF4A1 decreased E-cadherin expression through the c-MYC/miR-9 axis. Loss of eIF4A1 and c-MYC decreased the EMT and metastasis capabilities of pancreatic cancer cells, whereas upregulation of eIF4A1 attenuated the inhibition of EMT and metastasis induced by c-MYC downregulation. Treatment with the eIF4A1 inhibitor rocaglamide (RocA) or the c-MYC inhibitor Mycro3 either alone or in combination significantly decreased the expression level of EMT markers in pancreatic cancer cells in vitro. However, the efficiency and safety of RocA alone were not inferior to those of the combination treatment in vivo. Conclusion Overexpression of eIF4A1 downregulated E-cadherin expression through the c-MYC/miR-9 axis, which promoted EMT and metastasis of pancreatic cancer cells. Despite the potential feedback loop between eIF4A1 and c-MYC, RocA monotherapy is a promising treatment inhibiting eIF4A1-induced PDAC metastasis.

scholarly journals Anti-cancer effect of orally absorbable heparin on orthotopically induced exocrine and endocrine pancreatic cancer

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hae Hyun Hwang ◽  
Hee Jeong Jeong ◽  
Sangwoo Yoon ◽  
Youngro Byun ◽  
Teruo Okano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Endothelial Cells ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor ◽  
Tube Formation ◽  
Ductal Adenocarcinoma ◽  
Orthotopic Model ◽  
Pancreatic Cancers ◽  
Anti Cancer

Abstract Pancreatic cancers are classified based on where they occur into those derived from exocrine glands and endocrine glands, thereby showing different anti-cancer effect with medication. Therefore, it is necessary to develop anti-cancer drugs that can inhibit both of these types. To this end, we developed a heparin-taurocholate conjugate, i.e., LHT, to suppress tumor growth via its anti-angiogenic activity. Here we conducted a study to determine the anti-cancer efficacy of LHT on various types of pancreatic cancer, i.e., human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and human pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (PNET), at orthotopic animal model. LHT reduced not only proliferation of all three cancer cells, but also attenuated the production of VEGF through ERK dephosphorylation. Especially, these effects of LHT were much stronger to PNET (RINm cells). Also, LHT effectively reduced the migration, invasion and tube formation of endothelial cells via dephosphorylation of VEGFR, ERK1/2, and FAK protein. Eventually LHT reduced strongly ~ 50% tumor weights and tumor volumes of all three cancer cells at orthotopic model via anti-proliferation of cancer cells and anti-angiogenesis of endothelial cells. Interestingly, LHT was highly effective to PNET tumor tissue in vivo. Collectively, these findings demonstrated that LHT could be a potential anti-pancreatic cancer medication, regardless of pancreatic cancer types.

scholarly journals Loss of p53 tumor suppression function drives invasion and genomic instability in models of murine pancreatic cancer

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Tonelli ◽  
Astrid Deschênes ◽  
Melissa A. Yao ◽  
Youngkyu Park ◽  
David A. Tuveson
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Mouse Model ◽  
Cancer Progression ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Morphological Changes ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Intraepithelial Neoplasia ◽  
Ductal Adenocarcinoma ◽  
Wild Type

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is a deadly disease with few treatment options. There is an urgent need to better understand the molecular mechanisms that drive disease progression, with the ultimate aim of identifying early detection markers and clinically actionable targets. To investigate the transcriptional and morphological changes associated with pancreatic cancer progression, we analyzed the KrasLSLG12D/+; Trp53LSLR172H/+; Pdx1-Cre (KPC) mouse model. We have identified an intermediate cellular event during pancreatic carcinogenesis in the KPC mouse model of PDA that is represented by a subpopulation of tumor cells that express KrasG12D, p53R172H and one allele of wild-type Trp53. In vivo, these cells represent a histological spectrum of pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) and acinar-to-ductal metaplasia (ADM) and rarely proliferate. Following loss of wild-type p53, these precursor lesions undergo malignant de-differentiation and acquire invasive features. We have established matched organoid cultures of pre-invasive and invasive cells from murine PDA. Expression profiling of the organoids led to the identification of markers of the pre-invasive cancer cells in vivo and mechanisms of disease aggressiveness.

scholarly journals Cysteine catabolism and the serine biosynthesis pathway support pyruvate production during pyruvate kinase knockdown in pancreatic cancer cells

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Yu ◽  
Shao Thing Teoh ◽  
Elliot Ensink ◽  
Martin P. Ogrodzinski ◽  
Che Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Pyruvate Kinase ◽  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Ductal Adenocarcinoma ◽  
Metabolic Enzyme ◽  
Biosynthesis Pathway ◽  
Pancreatic Cancer Cells ◽  
Serine Biosynthesis

Abstract Background Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive cancer with limited treatment options. Pyruvate kinase, especially the M2 isoform (PKM2), is highly expressed in PDAC cells, but its role in pancreatic cancer remains controversial. To investigate the role of pyruvate kinase in pancreatic cancer, we knocked down PKM2 individually as well as both PKM1 and PKM2 concurrently (PKM1/2) in cell lines derived from a KrasG12D/-; p53-/- pancreatic mouse model. Methods We used liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to determine metabolic profiles of wildtype and PKM1/2 knockdown PDAC cells. We further used stable isotope-labeled metabolic precursors and LC-MS/MS to determine metabolic pathways upregulated in PKM1/2 knockdown cells. We then targeted metabolic pathways upregulated in PKM1/2 knockdown cells using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology. Results PDAC cells are able to proliferate and continue to produce pyruvate despite PKM1/2 knockdown. The serine biosynthesis pathway partially contributed to pyruvate production during PKM1/2 knockdown: knockout of phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase in this pathway decreased pyruvate production from glucose. In addition, cysteine catabolism generated ~ 20% of intracellular pyruvate in PDAC cells. Other potential sources of pyruvate include the sialic acid pathway and catabolism of glutamine, serine, tryptophan, and threonine. However, these sources did not provide significant levels of pyruvate in PKM1/2 knockdown cells. Conclusion PKM1/2 knockdown does not impact the proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells. The serine biosynthesis pathway supports conversion of glucose to pyruvate during pyruvate kinase knockdown. However, direct conversion of serine to pyruvate was not observed during PKM1/2 knockdown. Investigating several alternative sources of pyruvate identified cysteine catabolism for pyruvate production during PKM1/2 knockdown. Surprisingly, we find that a large percentage of intracellular pyruvate comes from cysteine. Our results highlight the ability of PDAC cells to adaptively rewire their metabolic pathways during knockdown of a key metabolic enzyme.

scholarly journals STAT1-mediated inhibition of FOXM1 enhances gemcitabine sensitivity in pancreatic cancer

2019 ◽  
Vol 133 (5) ◽  
pp. 645-663 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chao Liu ◽  
Jiaqi Shi ◽  
Qingwei Li ◽  
Zhiwei Li ◽  
Changjie Lou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Immunohistochemical Analysis ◽  
Human Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Ductal Adenocarcinoma ◽  
Luciferase Reporter ◽  
Pancreatic Cancer Cells ◽  
Foxm1 Expression

Abstract Forkhead box protein M1 (FOXM1) was identified as an oncogenic transcription factor and master regulator of tumor progression and metastasis. FOXM1 expression often correlates with poor prognosis and chemotherapy resistance. In the present study, we investigated the association of FOXM1 expression and chemoresistance in pancreatic cancer. Elevated FOXM1 protein levels were associated with gemcitabine chemoresistance in patients with pancreatic cancer. In gemcitabine resistance cell line models of pancreatic cancer, FOXM1 expression increased, which induced gemcitabine chemoresistance in vitro. In pancreatic cancer cells treated with gemcitabine, FOXM1 affected nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling activity. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated a negative association of FOXM1 expression and the level of phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (pSTAT1) in human pancreatic cancer tissues. Dual-luciferase reporter assays and chromatin-immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that pSTAT1 directly binds to the FOXM1 promoter to down-regulate its transcription. Interferon γ (IFNγ) promoted gemcitabine-induced cell apoptosis and inhibited cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo by FOXM1 inhibition. These data suggested that FOXM1 enhances chemoresistance to gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer. IFNγ could be used to down-regulate the expression of FOXM1 through STAT1 phosphorylation, thereby increasing the sensitivity of pancreatic cancer cells to gemcitabine. These studies suggested the sensitization by IFNγ in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) chemotherapy, which requires further clinical studies.

scholarly journals SR-B1 uptake of HDL promotes prostate cancer proliferation and tumor progression

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Alicia Traughber ◽  
Emmanuel Opoku ◽  
Gregory Brubaker ◽  
Jennifer Major ◽  
Hanxu Lu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Survival Data ◽  
Scavenger Receptor ◽  
Density Lipoprotein ◽  
Hdl Cholesterol ◽  
Cancer Tissue ◽  
Volume Data ◽  
Prostate Cancer Cells

ABSTRACTHigh density lipoprotein (HDL) metabolism, in part, is facilitated by scavenger receptor class B, type 1 (SR-B1) that mediates its uptake into cells. SR-B1 is upregulated in prostate cancer tissue. Here, we report that knockout (KO) of SR-B1 via CRISPR/Cas9 editing led to reduced HDL uptake into prostate cancer cells, and reduced their proliferation in response to HDL. In vivo studies using syngeneic SR-B1 wildtype (SR-B1+/+) and SR-B1 KO (SR-B1−/−) prostate cancer cells in WT and apolipoprotein-AI KO (apoA1-KO) C57BL/6J mice showed that WT hosts, containing higher levels of total and HDL-cholesterol, grew larger tumors than apoA1-KO hosts with lower levels of total and HDL-cholesterol. Furthermore, SR-B1−/− prostate cancer cells formed smaller tumors in WT hosts, than SR-B1+/+ cells in same host model. Tumor volume data was overall similar to survival data. We conclude that tumoral SR-B1 KO reduced HDL-mediated increases in prostate cancer cell proliferation and disease progression.

scholarly journals HGF/MET Axis Induces Tumor Secretion of Tenascin-C and Promotes Stromal Rewiring in Pancreatic Cancer

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 3519
Author(s):  
Chiara Modica ◽  
Martina Olivero ◽  
Francesca Zuppini ◽  
Melissa Milan ◽  
Cristina Basilico ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Stellate Cells ◽  
Pancreatic Stellate Cells ◽  
Ductal Adenocarcinoma ◽  
Stromal Compartment ◽  
Tenascin C ◽  
Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is an aggressive tumor characterized by the presence of an abundant stromal compartment contributing significantly to the malignant phenotype. Pancreatic stellate cells are peculiar fibroblasts present in the stroma and represent the predominant source of extracellular matrix proteins, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and growth factors, including hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). Exploiting a co-culture system of human pancreatic stellate cells and cancer cells, we demonstrated that fibroblast activation was reduced upon HGF/MET axis inhibition. To unveil the signaling pathways sustaining stroma modulation orchestrated by MET activation in the tumor, we analyzed the gene expression profile in pancreatic cancer cells stimulated with HGF and treated with HGF/MET inhibitors. Transcriptome analysis showed that, among all the genes modulated by HGF, a subset of 125 genes was restored to the basal level following treatment with the inhibitors. By examining these genes via ingenuity pathway analysis, tenascin C emerged as a promising candidate linking MET signaling and tumor microenvironment. MET-dependent tenascin C modulation in pancreatic cancer cells was validated at RNA and protein levels both in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, this work identifies tenascin C as a gene modulated by MET activation, suggesting a role in MET-mediated tumor-stroma interplay occurring during pancreatic tumor progression.

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