scholarly journals Metabolic Alterations in Pancreatic Cancer Progression

Cancers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enza Vernucci ◽  
Jaime Abrego ◽  
Venugopal Gunda ◽  
Surendra K. Shukla ◽  
Aneesha Dasgupta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Tumor Microenvironment ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Cancer Progression ◽  
Precancerous Lesions ◽  
Genetically Engineered ◽  
Metabolic Reprogramming ◽  
Pancreatic Tumors ◽  
Metabolic Alterations ◽  
Genetically Engineered Mice

Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the USA. Pancreatic tumors are characterized by enhanced glycolytic metabolism promoted by a hypoxic tumor microenvironment and a resultant acidic milieu. The metabolic reprogramming allows cancer cells to survive hostile microenvironments. Through the analysis of the principal metabolic pathways, we identified the specific metabolites that are altered during pancreatic cancer progression in the spontaneous progression (KPC) mouse model. Genetically engineered mice exhibited metabolic alterations during PanINs formation, even before the tumor development. To account for other cells in the tumor microenvironment and to focus on metabolic adaptations concerning tumorigenic cells only, we compared the metabolic profile of KPC and orthotopic tumors with those obtained from KPC-tumor derived cell lines. We observed significant upregulation of glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway metabolites even at the early stages of pathogenesis. Other biosynthetic pathways also demonstrated a few common perturbations. While some of the metabolic changes in tumor cells are not detectable in orthotopic and spontaneous tumors, a significant number of tumor cell-intrinsic metabolic alterations are readily detectable in the animal models. Overall, we identified that metabolic alterations in precancerous lesions are maintained during cancer development and are largely mirrored by cancer cells in culture conditions.

scholarly journals Pathological Changes in Pancreatic Carcinogenesis: A Review

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 686
Author(s):  
Keiko Yamakawa ◽  
Juanjuan Ye ◽  
Yuko Nakano-Narusawa ◽  
Yoko Matsuda
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Precancerous Lesions ◽  
Genetically Engineered ◽  
Diagnostic Methods ◽  
Treatment Modalities ◽  
Pathological Changes ◽  
Local Progression ◽  
Genetically Engineered Mice

Despite advances in diagnostics and therapeutics, the prognosis of pancreatic cancer remains dismal. Because of a lack of early diagnostic methods, aggressive local progression, and high incidence of distant metastasis, most pancreatic cancers are inoperable; therefore, the characteristics of early pancreatic cancer have not been well understood. Autopsy studies revealed the characteristics of prediagnostic pancreatic malignancies, including precancerous lesions, early stage pancreatic cancer, and pancreatic cancer without clinical symptoms (occult cancers). Animal models using hamsters and genetically engineered mice have focused on mechanisms of carcinogenesis, thereby providing insights into risk factors and prevention and serving as a preclinical test for the development of novel diagnostic and treatment modalities. In this review, we have summarized pathological changes in the pancreas of humans and experimental animals during carcinogenesis.

scholarly journals Stroma secreted IL6 selects for “stem-like” population and alters pancreatic tumor microenvironment by reprogramming metabolic pathways

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kousik Kesh ◽  
Vanessa T Garrido ◽  
Austin Doesch ◽  
Brittany Durden ◽  
Vineet K Gupta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Tumor Microenvironment ◽  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Pancreatic Tumor ◽  
Tumor Regression ◽  
Metabolic Reprogramming ◽  
Pancreatic Tumors ◽  
Glycolytic Flux ◽  
M2 Macrophages ◽  
Pancreatic Cancer Cells

AbstractPancreatic adenocarcinoma is a devastating disease with an abysmal survival rate of 9%. A robust fibro-inflammatory and desmoplastic stroma, characteristic of pancreatic cancer, contributes to the challenges in developing viable therapeutic strategies in this disease. Apart from constricting blood vessels and preventing efficient drug delivery to the tumor, the stroma also contributes to aggressive biology of the cancer along with its immune-evasive microenvironment. In this study, we show that in pancreatic tumors, the developing stroma increases tumor initiation frequency in pancreatic cancer cells in vivo by enriching for CD133+ aggressive “stem-like” cells. Additionally, the stromal fibroblasts secrete IL6 as the major cytokine, increases glycolytic flux in the pancreatic tumor cells and increases lactate efflux in the microenvironment via activation of the STAT signaling pathway. We also show that the secreted lactate favors activation of M2 macrophages in the tumor microenvironment, which excludes CD8+ T-cells in the tumor. Our data additionally confirms that treatment of pancreatic tumors with anti-IL6 antibody results in tumor regression as well as decreased CD133+ population within the tumor. Furthermore, inhibiting the lactate efflux in the microenvironment reduces M2 macrophages, and makes pancreatic tumors more responsive to anti-PD1 therapy. This suggests that stromal IL6 driven metabolic reprogramming plays a significant role in the development of an immune evasive microenvironment. In conclusion, our study shows that targeting the metabolic pathways affected by stromal IL6 can make pancreatic tumors amenable to checkpoint inhibitor therapy.

scholarly journals Exosome-mediated metabolic reprogramming: the emerging role in tumor microenvironment remodeling and its influence on cancer progression

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Enli Yang ◽  
Xuan Wang ◽  
Zhiyuan Gong ◽  
Miao Yu ◽  
Haiwei Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tumor Microenvironment ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Cancer Progression ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Tumor Development ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Metabolic Reprogramming ◽  
Diagnosis And Prognosis ◽  
Energy Demands

Abstract Metabolic reprogramming is reported to be one of the hallmarks of cancer, which is an adaptive mechanism by which fast-growing cancer cells adapt to their increasing energy demands. Recently, extracellular vesicles (EVs) known as exosomes have been recognized as crucial signaling mediators in regulating the tumor microenvironment (TME). Meanwhile, the TME is a highly heterogeneous ecosystem incorporating cancer cells, fibroblasts, adipocytes, endothelial cells, mesenchymal stem cells, and extracellular matrix. Accumulated evidence indicates that exosomes may transfer biologically functional molecules to the recipient cells, which facilitate cancer progression, angiogenesis, metastasis, drug resistance, and immunosuppression by reprogramming the metabolism of cancer cells and their surrounding stromal cells. In this review, we present the role of exosomes in the TME and the underlying mechanism of how exosomes exacerbate tumor development through metabolic reprogramming. In addition, we will also discuss the potential role of exosomes targeting metabolic process as biomarkers for tumor diagnosis and prognosis, and exosomes-mediated metabolic reprogramming as potential targets for cancer therapy. Furthermore, a better understanding of the link between exosomes and metabolic reprogramming, and their impact on cancer progression, would provide novel insights for cancer prevention and treatment in the future.

scholarly journals Oncogenic KRAS-Driven Metabolic Reprogramming in Pancreatic Cancer Cells Utilizes Cytokines from the Tumor Microenvironment

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 608-625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prasenjit Dey ◽  
Jun Li ◽  
Jianhua Zhang ◽  
Surendra Chaurasiya ◽  
Anders Strom ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Tumor Microenvironment ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Metabolic Reprogramming ◽  
Pancreatic Cancer Cells

scholarly journals Stroma secreted IL6 selects for “stem-like” population and alters pancreatic tumor microenvironment by reprogramming metabolic pathways

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kousik Kesh ◽  
Vanessa T. Garrido ◽  
Austin Dosch ◽  
Brittany Durden ◽  
Vineet K. Gupta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Tumor Microenvironment ◽  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Pancreatic Tumor ◽  
Tumor Regression ◽  
Metabolic Reprogramming ◽  
Pancreatic Tumors ◽  
Glycolytic Flux ◽  
M2 Macrophages ◽  
Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Abstract Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is a devastating disease with an abysmal survival rate of 9%. A robust fibro-inflammatory and desmoplastic stroma, characteristic of pancreatic cancer, contribute to the challenges in developing viable therapeutic strategies in this disease. Apart from constricting blood vessels and preventing efficient drug delivery to the tumor, the stroma also contributes to the aggressive biology of cancer along with its immune-evasive microenvironment. In this study, we show that in pancreatic tumors, the developing stroma increases tumor initiation frequency in pancreatic cancer cells in vivo by enriching for CD133 + aggressive “stem-like” cells. Additionally, the stromal fibroblasts secrete IL6 as the major cytokine, increases glycolytic flux in the pancreatic tumor cells, and increases lactate efflux in the microenvironment via activation of the STAT signaling pathway. We also show that the secreted lactate favors activation of M2 macrophages in the tumor microenvironment, which excludes CD8 + T cells in the tumor. Our data additionally confirms that the treatment of pancreatic tumors with anti-IL6 antibody results in tumor regression as well as decreased CD133 + population within the tumor. Furthermore, inhibiting the lactate efflux in the microenvironment reduces M2 macrophages, and makes pancreatic tumors more responsive to anti-PD1 therapy. This suggests that stromal IL6 driven metabolic reprogramming plays a significant role in the development of an immune-evasive microenvironment. In conclusion, our study shows that targeting the metabolic pathways affected by stromal IL6 can make pancreatic tumors amenable to checkpoint inhibitor therapy.

scholarly journals Role of integrin-linked kinase in regulating the protein stability of the MUC1-C oncoprotein in pancreatic cancer cells

Oncogenesis ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  
pp. e359-e359 ◽  
Author(s):  
H-L Huang ◽  
H-Y Wu ◽  
P-C Chu ◽  
I-L Lai ◽  
P-H Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Protein Stability ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Cancer Progression ◽  
Ectopic Expression ◽  
Pancreatic Tumors ◽  
Alternative Mechanism ◽  
Pancreatic Cancer Cells ◽  
Integrin Linked Kinase

Abstract MUC1-C overexpression has been associated with the progression of pancreatic tumors by promoting the aggressive and metastatic phenotypes. As MUC1 is a STAT3 target gene, STAT3 plays a major role in regulating MUC1-C expression. In this study, we report an alternative mechanism by which integrin-linked kinase (ILK) post-transcriptionally modulates the expression of MUC1-C by maintaining its protein stability in pancreatic cancer cells. We found that ILK acts in concert with STAT3 to facilitate IL-6-mediated upregulation of MUC1-C; ILK depletion was equally effective as STAT3 depletion in abolishing IL-6-induced MUC1-C overexpression without disturbing the phosphorylation or cellular distribution of STAT3. Conversely, ectopic expression of constitutively active ILK increased MUC1-C expression, though this increase was not noted with kinase-dead ILK. This finding suggests the requirement of the kinase activity of ILK in regulating MUC1-C stability, which was confirmed by using the ILK kinase inhibitor T315. Furthermore, our data suggest the involvement of protein kinase C (PKC)δ in mediating the suppressive effect of ILK inhibition on MUC1-C repression. For example, co-immunoprecipitation analysis indicated that ILK depletion-mediated MUC1-C phosphorylation was accompanied by increased phosphorylation of PKCδ at the activation loop Thr-507 and increased binding of PKCδ to MUC1-C. Conversely, ILK overexpression resulted in decreased PKCδ phosphorylation. From a mechanistic perspective, the present finding, together with our recent report that ILK controls the expression of oncogenic KRAS through a regulatory loop, underscores the pivotal role of ILK in promoting pancreatic cancer progression.

scholarly journals MicroRNA-Mediated Metabolic Shaping of the Tumor Microenvironment

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 127
Author(s):  
Federico Virga ◽  
Lorena Quirico ◽  
Stefania Cucinelli ◽  
Massimiliano Mazzone ◽  
Daniela Taverna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tumor Microenvironment ◽  
Tumor Progression ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Immune Cells ◽  
Metabolic Reprogramming ◽  
Stromal Fibroblasts ◽  
Metabolic Alterations ◽  
Cell Functions ◽  
Cancer Management ◽  
Mrna Targets

The metabolism of cancer cells is generally very different from what is found in normal counterparts. However, in a tumor mass, the continuous crosstalk and competition for nutrients and oxygen among different cells lead to metabolic alterations, not only in cancer cells, but also in the different stromal and immune cells of the tumor microenvironment (TME), which are highly relevant for tumor progression. MicroRNAs (miRs) are small non-coding RNAs that silence their mRNA targets post-transcriptionally and are involved in numerous physiological cell functions as well as in the adaptation to stress situations. Importantly, miRs can also be released via extracellular vesicles (EVs) and, consequently, take part in the bidirectional communication between tumor and surrounding cells under stress conditions. Certain miRs are abundantly expressed in stromal and immune cells where they can regulate various metabolic pathways by directly suppressing enzymes or transporters as well as by controlling important regulators (such as transcription factors) of metabolic processes. In this review, we discuss how miRs can induce metabolic reprogramming in stromal (fibroblasts and adipocytes) and immune (macrophages and T cells) cells and, in turn, how the biology of the different cells present in the TME is able to change. Finally, we debate the rebound of miR-dependent metabolic alterations on tumor progression and their implications for cancer management.

scholarly journals VDAC1 Silencing in Cancer Cells Leads to Metabolic Reprogramming That Modulates Tumor Microenvironment

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 2850
Author(s):  
Erez Zerbib ◽  
Tasleem Arif ◽  
Anna Shteinfer-Kuzmine ◽  
Vered Chalifa-Caspi ◽  
Varda Shoshan-Barmatz
Keyword(s):  
Tumor Microenvironment ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Cancer Progression ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Tumor Regression ◽  
Metabolic Reprogramming ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Migration And Invasion ◽  
Altered Expression ◽  
Host Interactions

The tumor microenvironment (TME) plays an important role in cell growth, proliferation, migration, immunity, malignant transformation, and apoptosis. Thus, better insight into tumor–host interactions is required. Most of these processes involve the metabolic reprogramming of cells. Here, we focused on this reprogramming in cancerous cells and its effect on the TME. A major limitation in the study of tumor–host interactions is the difficulty in separating cancerous from non-cancerous signaling pathways within a tumor. Our strategy involved specifically silencing the expression of VDAC1 in the mitochondria of human-derived A549 lung cancer xenografts in mice, but not in the mouse-derived cells of the TME. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis allows distinguishing the human or mouse origin of genes, thus enabling the separation of the bidirectional cross-talk between the TME and malignant cells. We demonstrate that depleting VDAC1 in cancer cells led to metabolic reprogramming, tumor regression, and the disruption of tumor–host interactions. This was reflected in the altered expression of a battery of genes associated with TME, including those involved in extracellular matrix organization and structure, matrix-related peptidases, angiogenesis, intercellular interacting proteins, integrins, and growth factors associated with stromal activities. We show that metabolic rewiring upon mitochondrial VDAC1 silencing in cancer cells affected several components of the TME, such as structural protein matrix metalloproteinases and Lox, and elicited a stromal response resembling the reaction to a foreign body in wound healing. As tumor progression requires a cooperative interplay between the host and cancer cells, and the ECM is intensively remodeled during cancer progression, VDAC1 depletion induced metabolic reprogramming that targeted both tumor cells and resulted in the alteration of the whole spectrum of TME-related genes, affecting the reciprocal feedback between ECM molecules, host cells, and cancer cells. Thus, VDAC1 depletion using si-VDAC1 represents therapeutic potential, inhibiting cancer cell proliferation and also inducing the modulation of TME components, which influences cancer progression, migration, and invasion.

Effect of Redd1 loss on proliferation and metastasis of pancreatic cancer cells with KrasG12D-LOH by inhibiting glycolysis.

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e15741-e15741
Author(s):  
Mingyue Hu ◽  
Peilin Huang ◽  
Yu Ma ◽  
Sunkai Ling ◽  
Yuan Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Lactic Acid ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Aerobic Glycolysis ◽  
Genetically Engineered ◽  
Mtor Pathway ◽  
Kras Mutations ◽  
Blank Group ◽  
Pancreatic Cancer Cells ◽  
Genetically Engineered Mice

e15741 Background: Aerobic glycolysis, regulated by mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, plays an important role in pancreatic carcinogenesis. Regulated in development and DNA damage response (Redd1) constitutes an important regulator of mTOR signaling. Previously, we observed that the loss of heterozygosity (LOH) status of Kras mutations (e.g. KrasG12D) is associated with an increased Redd1 expression. Here, we investigated the functional relevance of Redd1 in the context of KrasG12D-LOH. Methods: Murine KrasG12D-LOH/KrasG12Dpancreatic cancer cells isolated from genetically engineered mice were used in this study. The glycolysis dependence was detected by CCK8 assays after treated by glycolysis inhibitor 2-Deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG). Redd1 expression was down-regulated using shRNA transfection. Cell proliferation was determined by CCK8 and colony formation assays. Cell invasion and migration was measured by transwell and wound-healing assays. The levels of lactic acid and ATP were tested by ELISA kit. Genes related to glycolysis and mTOR signal were evaluated by western-blot and quantitative RT-PCR. Results: Compared with KRASG12D pancreatic cancer cells, the viability of KRASG12D-LOH cells decreased significantly in the presence of 2-DG. After Redd1 suppression, the proliferative and invasive potentials of KRASG12D-LOH cells decreased significantly when compared with blank group and negative group. The levels of lactic acid and ATP were also reduced by Redd1 down-regulation. Furthermore, the signal activity of mTOR pathway and Pkm2 and Hk2 expression were reduced dramatically, while Tsc1 and Tsc2 expression were unaffected. Conclusions: The LOH status of KRASG12D renders the pancreatic cancer cells additive to glycolysis, which further affect the proliferative and invasive potentials via the function of Redd1/mTOR. These data underscore the importance of KRASG12D-LOH in regulating cancer glucose metabolism.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document