Cancer surveillance awareness and practice among families at increased risk for pancreatic adenocarcinoma

New insights into the interaction between m6A modification and lncRNA in cancer drug resistance

Drug resistance is perhaps the greatest obstacle in improving outcomes for cancer patients, leading to recurrence, progression and metastasis of various cancers. Exploring the underlying mechanism worth further study. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most common RNA modification found in eukaryotes, playing a vital role in RNA translation, transportation, stability, degradation, splicing and processing. Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) refers to a group of transcripts that are longer than 200 nucleotides (nt) and typically lack the ability to code for proteins. LncRNA has been identified to play a significant role in regulating multiple aspects of tumour development and progression, including proliferation, metastasis, metabolism, and resistance to treatment. In recent years, a growing body of evidence has emerged, highlighting the crucial role of the interplay between m6A modification and lncRNA in determining the sensitivity of cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents. In this review, we focus on the recent advancements in the interaction between m6A modification and lncRNA in the modulation of cancer drug resistance. Additionally, we aim to explore the underlying mechanisms involved in this process. The objective of this review is to provide valuable insights and suggest potential future directions for the reversal of chemoresistance in cancer.

SRSF3-mediated regulation of N6-methyladenosine modification-related lncRNA ANRIL splicing promotes resistance of pancreatic cancer to gemcitabine

Serine/arginine-rich splicing factor 3 (SRSF3) regulates mRNA alternative splicing of more than 90% of protein-coding genes, providing an essential source for biological versatility. This study finds that SRSF3 expression is associated with drug resistance and poor prognosis in pancreatic cancer. We also find that SRSF3 regulates ANRIL splicing and m6A modification of ANRIL in pancreatic cancer cells. More importantly, we demonstrate that m6A methylation on lncRNA ANRIL is essential for the splicing. Moreover, our results show that SRSF3 promotes gemcitabine resistance by regulating ANRIL's splicing and ANRIL-208 (one of the ANRIL spliceosomes) can enhance DNA homologous recombination repair (HR) capacity by forming a complex with Ring1b and EZH2. In conclusion, this study establishes a link between SRSF3, m6A modification, lncRNA splicing, and DNA HR in pancreatic cancer and demonstrates that abnormal alternative splicing and m6A modification are closely related to chemotherapy resistance in pancreatic cancer.

Detection of Early-Stage Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma From Blood Samples: Results of a Multiplex Biomarker Signature Validation Study

INTRODUCTION

The IMMray PanCan-d test combines an 8-plex biomarker signature with CA19-9 in a proprietary algorithm to detect pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) in serum samples. This study aimed to validate the clinical performance of the IMMray PanCan-d test and to better understand test performance in Lewis-null (le/le) individuals who cannot express CA19-9.

METHODS

Serum samples from 586 individuals were analyzed with the IMMray PanCan-d biomarker signature and CA19-9 assay, including 167 PDAC samples, 203 individuals at high risk of familial/hereditary PDAC, and 216 healthy controls. Samples were collected at 11 sites in the United States and Europe. The study was performed by Immunovia, Inc (Marlborough, MA), and sample identity was blinded throughout the study. Test results were automatically generated using validated custom software with a locked algorithm and predefined decision value cutoffs for sample classification.

RESULTS

The IMMray PanCan-d test distinguished PDAC stages I and II (n = 56) vs high-risk individuals with 98% specificity and 85% sensitivity and distinguished PDAC stages I-IV vs high-risk individuals with 98% specificity and 87% sensitivity. We identified samples with a CA19-9 value of 2.5 U/mL or less as probable Lewis-null (le/le) individuals. Excluding these 55 samples from the analysis increased the IMMray PanCan-d test sensitivity to 92% for PDAC stages I-IV (n = 157) vs controls (n = 379) while maintaining specificity at 99%; test sensitivity for PDAC stages I and II increased from 85% to 89%.

DISCUSSION

These results demonstrate the IMMray PanCan-d blood test can detect PDAC with high specificity (99%) and sensitivity (92%).