scholarly journals Kallikrein-Related Peptidase 6 Is Associated with the Tumour Microenvironment of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 3969
Author(s):  
Juliana B. Candido ◽  
Oscar Maiques ◽  
Melanie Boxberg ◽  
Verena Kast ◽  
Eleonora Peerani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Standard Of Care ◽  
Tumour Microenvironment ◽  
Ductal Adenocarcinoma ◽  
Therapeutic Approaches ◽  
Novel Treatments ◽  
Pancreatic Cancer Cells ◽  
Invasive Tumour ◽  
Mrna And Protein Expression

As cancer-associated factors, kallikrein-related peptidases (KLKs) are components of the tumour microenvironment, which represents a rich substrate repertoire, and considered attractive targets for the development of novel treatments. Standard-of-care therapy of pancreatic cancer shows unsatisfactory results, indicating the need for alternative therapeutic approaches. We aimed to investigate the expression of KLKs in pancreatic cancer and to inhibit the function of KLK6 in pancreatic cancer cells. KLK6, KLK7, KLK8, KLK10 and KLK11 were coexpressed and upregulated in tissues from pancreatic cancer patients compared to normal pancreas. Their high expression levels correlated with each other and were linked to shorter survival compared to low KLK levels. We then validated KLK6 mRNA and protein expression in patient-derived tissues and pancreatic cancer cells. Coexpression of KLK6 with KRT19, αSMA or CD68 was independent of tumour stage, while KLK6 was coexpressed with KRT19 and CD68 in the invasive tumour area. High KLK6 levels in tumour and CD68+ cells were linked to shorter survival. KLK6 inhibition reduced KLK6 mRNA expression, cell metabolic activity and KLK6 secretion and increased the secretion of other serine and aspartic lysosomal proteases. The association of high KLK levels and poor prognosis suggests that inhibiting KLKs may be a therapeutic strategy for precision medicine.

Galectin-3 is modulated in pancreatic cancer cells under hypoxia and nutrient deprivation

2020 ◽  
Vol 401 (10) ◽  
pp. 1153-1165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antônio F. da Silva Filho ◽  
Lucas B. Tavares ◽  
Maira G. R. Pitta ◽  
Eduardo I. C. Beltrão ◽  
Moacyr J. B. M. Rêgo
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Cell Death ◽  
Mrna Expression ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Ductal Adenocarcinoma ◽  
Reverse Transcription Pcr ◽  
Pancreatic Cancer Cells ◽  
Through Flow ◽  
Galectin 3

AbstractPancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is one of the most aggressive tumors with a microenvironment marked by hypoxia and starvation. Galectin-3 has been evaluated in solid tumors and seems to present both pro/anti-tumor effects. So, this study aims to characterize the expression of Galectin-3 from pancreatic tumor cells and analyze its influence for cell survive and motility in mimetic microenvironment. For this, cell cycle and cell death were accessed through flow cytometry. Characterization of inside and outside Galectin-3 was performed through Real-Time Quantitative Reverse Transcription PCR (qRT-PCR), immunofluorescence, Western blot, and ELISA. Consequences of Galectin-3 extracellular inhibition were investigated using cell death and scratch assays. PANC-1 showed increased Galectin-3 mRNA expression when cultivated in hypoxia for 24 and 48 h. After 24 h in simultaneously hypoxic/deprived incubation, PANC-1 shows increased Galectin-3 protein and secreted levels. For Mia PaCa-2, cultivation in deprivation was determinant for the increasing in Galectin-3 mRNA expression. When cultivated in simultaneously hypoxic/deprived condition, Mia PaCa-2 also presented increasing for the Galectin-3 secreted levels. Treatment of PANC-1 cells with lactose increased the death rate when cells were incubated simultaneously hypoxic/deprived condition. Therefore, it is possible to conclude that the microenvironmental conditions modulate the Galectin-3 expression on the transcriptional and translational levels for pancreatic cancer cells.

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 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 Glucose Metabolism in Pancreatic Cancer

Cancers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liang Yan ◽  
Priyank Raj ◽  
Wantong Yao ◽  
Haoqiang Ying
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Glucose Metabolism ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Redox Homeostasis ◽  
Central Carbon Metabolism ◽  
Ductal Adenocarcinoma ◽  
Glycolytic Flux ◽  
Pancreatic Cancer Cells ◽  
Cellular Energetics ◽  
Salvage Pathways

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most aggressive and lethal cancers, with a five-year survival rate of around 5% to 8%. To date, very few available drugs have been successfully used to treat PDAC due to the poor understanding of the tumor-specific features. One of the hallmarks of pancreatic cancer cells is the deregulated cellular energetics characterized by the “Warburg effect”. It has been known for decades that cancer cells have a dramatically increased glycolytic flux even in the presence of oxygen and normal mitochondrial function. Glycolytic flux is the central carbon metabolism process in all cells, which not only produces adenosine triphosphate (ATP) but also provides biomass for anabolic processes that support cell proliferation. Expression levels of glucose transporters and rate-limiting enzymes regulate the rate of glycolytic flux. Intermediates that branch out from glycolysis are responsible for redox homeostasis, glycosylation, and biosynthesis. Beyond enhanced glycolytic flux, pancreatic cancer cells activate nutrient salvage pathways, which includes autophagy and micropinocytosis, from which the generated sugars, amino acids, and fatty acids are used to buffer the stresses induced by nutrient deprivation. Further, PDAC is characterized by extensive metabolic crosstalk between tumor cells and cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME). In this review, we will give an overview on recent progresses made in understanding glucose metabolism-related deregulations in PDAC.

scholarly journals Dissecting cell-type-specific metabolism in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

eLife ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison N Lau ◽  
Zhaoqi Li ◽  
Laura V Danai ◽  
Anna M Westermark ◽  
Alicia M Darnell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Heterogeneous Systems ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Ductal Adenocarcinoma ◽  
Specific Cell ◽  
Isolated Cells ◽  
Pancreatic Cancer Cells ◽  
Turn Over ◽  
Different Cell Types

Tumors are composed of many different cell types including cancer cells, fibroblasts, and immune cells. Dissecting functional metabolic differences between cell types within a mixed population can be challenging due to the rapid turnover of metabolites relative to the time needed to isolate cells. To overcome this challenge, we traced isotope-labeled nutrients into macromolecules that turn over more slowly than metabolites. This approach was used to assess differences between cancer cell and fibroblast metabolism in murine pancreatic cancer organoid-fibroblast co-cultures and tumors. Pancreatic cancer cells exhibited increased pyruvate carboxylation relative to fibroblasts, and this flux depended on both pyruvate carboxylase and malic enzyme 1 activity. Consequently, expression of both enzymes in cancer cells was necessary for organoid and tumor growth, demonstrating that dissecting the metabolism of specific cell populations within heterogeneous systems can identify dependencies that may not be evident from studying isolated cells in culture or bulk tissue.

scholarly journals Direct Endoplasmic Reticulum Targeting by the Selective Alkylphospholipid Analog and Antitumor Ether Lipid Edelfosine as a Therapeutic Approach in Pancreatic Cancer

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 4173
Author(s):  
Faustino Mollinedo ◽  
Consuelo Gajate
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Cell Death ◽  
Er Stress ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Tumor Cells ◽  
Apoptotic Cell ◽  
Ether Lipid ◽  
Ductal Adenocarcinoma ◽  
Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the most common malignancy of the pancreas, shows a dismal and grim overall prognosis and survival rate, which have remained virtually unchanged for over half a century. PDAC is the most lethal of all cancers, with the highest mortality-to-incidence ratio. PDAC responds poorly to current therapies and remains an incurable malignancy. Therefore, novel therapeutic targets and drugs are urgently needed for pancreatic cancer treatment. Selective induction of apoptosis in cancer cells is an appealing approach in cancer therapy. Apoptotic cell death is highly regulated by different signaling routes that involve a variety of subcellular organelles. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress acts as a double-edged sword at the interface of cell survival and death. Pancreatic cells exhibit high hormone and enzyme secretory functions, and thereby show a highly developed ER. Thus, pancreatic cancer cells display a prominent ER. Solid tumors have to cope with adverse situations in which hypoxia, lack of certain nutrients, and the action of certain antitumor agents lead to a complex interplay and crosstalk between ER stress and autophagy—the latter acting as an adaptive survival response. ER stress also mediates cell death induced by a number of anticancer drugs and experimental conditions, highlighting the pivotal role of ER stress in modulating cell fate. The alkylphospholipid analog prototype edelfosine is selectively taken up by tumor cells, accumulates in the ER of a number of human solid tumor cells—including pancreatic cancer cells—and promotes apoptosis through a persistent ER-stress-mediated mechanism both in vitro and in vivo. Here, we discuss and propose that direct ER targeting may be a promising approach in the therapy of pancreatic cancer, opening up a new avenue for the treatment of this currently incurable and deadly cancer. Furthermore, because autophagy acts as a cytoprotective response to ER stress, potentiation of the triggering of a persistent ER response by combination therapy, together with the use of autophagy blockers, could improve the current gloomy expectations for finding a cure for this type of cancer.

scholarly journals Dissecting cell type-specific metabolism in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison N. Lau ◽  
Zhaoqi Li ◽  
Laura V. Danai ◽  
Anna M. Westermark ◽  
Alicia M. Darnell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Heterogeneous Systems ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Ductal Adenocarcinoma ◽  
Pancreatic Tumors ◽  
Specific Cell ◽  
Isolated Cells ◽  
Pancreatic Cancer Cells ◽  
Turn Over

AbstractTumors are composed of many different cell types including cancer cells, fibroblasts, and immune cells. Dissecting functional metabolic differences between various cell types within a mixed population can be limited by the rapid turnover of metabolites relative to the time needed to isolate cells. To overcome this challenge, we traced isotope-labeled nutrients into macromolecules that turn over more slowly than metabolites. This approach was used to assess differences between cancer cell and fibroblast metabolism in pancreatic cancer organoid-fibroblast co-cultures and in pancreatic tumors. In these contexts, we find pancreatic cancer cells exhibit increased pyruvate carboxylation relative to fibroblasts, and that this flux depends on both pyruvate carboxylase and malic enzyme 1 activity. Consequently, expression of both enzymes in cancer cells is necessary for organoid and tumor growth, demonstrating that dissecting the metabolism of specific cell populations within heterogeneous systems can identify dependencies that may not be evident from studying isolated cells in culture or bulk tumor tissue.

scholarly journals Upregulation of Mobility in Pancreatic Cancer Cells by Secreted S100A11 Through Activation of Surrounding Fibroblasts

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (8) ◽  
pp. 945-956 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yosuke Mitsui ◽  
Nahoko Tomonobu ◽  
Masami Watanabe ◽  
Rie Kinoshita ◽  
I Wayan Sumardika ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Cell Motility ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Cellular Migration ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase ◽  
Ductal Adenocarcinoma ◽  
Pancreatic Cancer Cells ◽  
Mechanistic Investigation

S100A11, a member of the S100 family of proteins, is actively secreted from pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells. However, the role of the extracellular S100A11 in PDAC progression remains unclear. In the present study, we investigated the extracellular role of S100A11 in crosstalking between PDAC cells and surrounding fibroblasts in PDAC progression. An abundant S100A11 secreted from pancreatic cancer cells stimulated neighboring fibroblasts through receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) upon S100A11 binding and was followed by not only an enhanced cancer cell motility in vitro but also an increased number of the PDAC-derived circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in vivo. Mechanistic investigation of RAGE downstream in fibroblasts revealed a novel contribution of a mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase (MAPKKK), tumor progression locus 2 (TPL2), which is required for positive regulation of PDAC cell motility through induction of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2) and its catalyzed production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), a strong chemoattractive fatty acid. The extracellularly released PGE2 from fibroblasts was required for the rise in cellular migration as well as infiltration of their adjacent PDAC cells in a coculture setting. Taken together, our data reveal a novel role of the secretory S100A11 in PDAC disseminative progression through activation of surrounding fibroblasts triggered by the S100A11‐RAGE‐TPL2‐COX2 pathway. The findings of this study will contribute to the establishment of a novel therapeutic antidote to PDACs that are difficult to treat by regulating cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) through targeting the identified pathway.

scholarly journals DNA-Methylation-Caused Downregulation of miR-30 Contributes to the High Expression of XPO1 and the Aggressive Growth of Tumors in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Cancers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asfar S. Azmi ◽  
Yiwei Li ◽  
Amro Aboukameel ◽  
Irfana Muqbil ◽  
Philip A. Philip ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Nuclear Export ◽  
The United States ◽  
High Expression ◽  
Ductal Adenocarcinoma ◽  
Multiple Tumor ◽  
Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is one of the most aggressive cancers, with high mortality in the United States. One of the important signal transduction proteins involved in the regulation of pancreatic cancer’s aggressive progression is the nuclear export protein (XPO1). High expression of XPO1 has been found in pancreatic, lung, breast and other cancers and lymphomas with a poor prognosis of patients with tumors and high proliferative activity of cancer cells. Because XPO1 exports multiple tumor suppressor proteins simultaneously from the nucleus, the inhibition of XPO1 may retain multiple tumor suppressors in the nucleus, resulting in the suppression of cell proliferation and the induction of apoptosis in tumors. In this study, we found that the high expression of XPO1 in pancreatic cancer cells could be, in part, due to the methylation of the miR-30 gene, leading to the low expression level of the miR-30 family. By co-transfection of the XPO1 3′-UTR-Luc target vector with miR-30 mimic, we found that XPO1 is a direct target of the miR-30 family. We also observed that the enforced expression of the miR-30 family inhibited the expression of XPO1, resulting in the suppression of pancreatic cancer growth both in vitro and in vivo. These findings could help to design a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of pancreatic cancer by introducing miR-30 into cancer cells.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document