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Mustafa M, Abbas K, Alam M, Habib S, Zulfareen, Hasan GM, Islam S, Shamsi A, Hassan I. Investigating underlying molecular mechanisms, signaling pathways, emerging therapeutic approaches in pancreatic cancer. Front Oncol 2024; 14:1427802. [PMID: 39087024 PMCID: PMC11288929 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1427802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic adenocarcinoma, a clinically challenging malignancy constitutes a significant contributor to cancer-related mortality, characterized by an inherently poor prognosis. This review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of pancreatic adenocarcinoma by examining its multifaceted etiologies, including genetic mutations and environmental factors. The review explains the complex molecular mechanisms underlying its pathogenesis and summarizes current therapeutic strategies, including surgery, chemotherapy, and emerging modalities such as immunotherapy. Critical molecular pathways driving pancreatic cancer development, including KRAS, Notch, and Hedgehog, are discussed. Current therapeutic strategies, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, are discussed, with an emphasis on their limitations, particularly in terms of postoperative relapse. Promising research areas, including liquid biopsies, personalized medicine, and gene editing, are explored, demonstrating the significant potential for enhancing diagnosis and treatment. While immunotherapy presents promising prospects, it faces challenges related to immune evasion mechanisms. Emerging research directions, encompassing liquid biopsies, personalized medicine, CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, and computational intelligence applications, hold promise for refining diagnostic approaches and therapeutic interventions. By integrating insights from genetic, molecular, and clinical research, innovative strategies that improve patient outcomes can be developed. Ongoing research in these emerging fields holds significant promise for advancing the diagnosis and treatment of this formidable malignancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohd Mustafa
- Department of Biochemistry, J.N. Medical College, Faculty of Medicine, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India
| | - Kashif Abbas
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India
| | - Mudassir Alam
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India
| | - Safia Habib
- Department of Biochemistry, J.N. Medical College, Faculty of Medicine, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India
| | - Zulfareen
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India
| | - Gulam Mustafa Hasan
- Department of Basic Medical Science, College of Medicine, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sidra Islam
- Department of Inflammation & Immunity, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Anas Shamsi
- Center of Medical and Bio-Allied Health Sciences Research (CMBHSR), Ajman University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates
| | - Imtaiyaz Hassan
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India
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Wu CZ, Chu YC, Lai SW, Hsieh MS, Yadav VK, Fong IH, Deng L, Huang CC, Tzeng YM, Yeh CT, Chen JS. Urokinase plasminogen activator induces epithelial-mesenchymal and metastasis of pancreatic cancer through plasmin/MMP14/TGF-β axis, which is inhibited by 4-acetyl-antroquinonol B treatment. PHYTOMEDICINE : INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHYTOTHERAPY AND PHYTOPHARMACOLOGY 2022; 100:154062. [PMID: 35366491 DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2022.154062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Revised: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The current standard therapy for metastatic pancreatic cancer is ineffective, necessitating a new treatment approach for prognosis improvement. The urokinase-plasmin activator (uPA) is a critical factor in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cancer metastasis, but its underlying mechanisms in pancreatic cancer remains elusive. METHODS We investigated uPA expression in our pancreatic cancer cohort. A bioinformatics approach was used to further determine the role of uPA in pancreatic cancer. We employed MiaPaCa-2 and PANC-1 cell lines to investigate how uPA regulates EMT and metastasis in pancreatic cancer and present a novel approach aimed at inhibiting uPA in pancreatic cancer. RESULTS We observed that higher uPA mRNA expression was significantly associated with overall-poor survival and progression-free survival in pancreatic cancer. uPA was highly expressed in tumor tissue. Gene set enrichment analysis revealed a positive association between uPA mRNA expression and EMT and transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) signaling pathways. Moreover, shRNA-mediated uPA gene knockdown reduced plasmin, MMP14, and TGF-β activation, leading to the inhibition of PANC-1 cells' EMT marker expression, migration, invasion, and cell viability. Notably, 4-acetyl-antroquinonol B (4-AAQB) treatment suppressed MiaPaCa-2 and PANC-1 cell migratory and invasive abilities by inhibiting the uPA/MMP14/TGF-β axis through upregulation of miR-181d-5p. In the xenograft mouse model of orthotropic pancreatic cancer, 4-AAQB treatment has reduced tumor growth and metastasis rate by deactivating uPA and improving the survival of the mice model. CONCLUSION Accordingly, to extent of our knowledge and previous studies, we demonstrated that 4-AAQB is an anti Pan-Cancer drug, and may inhibit pancreatic cancer EMT and metastasis and serve as a new therapeutic approach for patients with late-stage pancreatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chung-Ze Wu
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC; Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Yi Cheng Chu
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, St. George's University, St. George SW17 0RE, Grenada
| | - Shiue-Wei Lai
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC; Department of Internal Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital Penghu Branch, Penghu, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Ming-Shou Hsieh
- Department of Medical Research & Education, Taipei Medical University - Shuang Ho Hospital, New Taipei City, 235, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Vijesh Kumar Yadav
- Department of Medical Research & Education, Taipei Medical University - Shuang Ho Hospital, New Taipei City, 235, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Iat-Hang Fong
- Department of Medical Research & Education, Taipei Medical University - Shuang Ho Hospital, New Taipei City, 235, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Li Deng
- Beijing Bioprocess Key Laboratory, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China; Amoy-BUCT Industrial Bio-Technovation Institute, Amoy 361022, China
| | - Chun-Chih Huang
- Center for General Education, National Taitung University, Taitung, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Yew-Min Tzeng
- Center for General Education, National Taitung University, Taitung, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Chi-Tai Yeh
- Department of Medical Research & Education, Taipei Medical University - Shuang Ho Hospital, New Taipei City, 235, Taiwan, ROC; Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, Yuanpei University of Medical Technology, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan, ROC.
| | - Jin-Shuen Chen
- Administration Department and Division of Nephrology, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, ROC; Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
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He W, Yang G, Liu S, Maghsoudloo M, Shasaltaneh MD, Kaboli PJ, Zhang C, Zhang J, Entezari M, Imani S, Wen Q. Comparative mRNA/micro-RNA co-expression network drives melanomagenesis by promoting epithelial-mesenchymal transition and vasculogenic mimicry signaling. Transl Oncol 2021; 14:101237. [PMID: 34626953 PMCID: PMC8512639 DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2021.101237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to identify a novel disease-associated differentially co-expressed mRNA-microRNA (miRNA) that is associated with vasculogenic mimicry (VM) and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) network at different stages of melanoma. By applying weighted gene co-expression network analysis, we constructed a VM+EMT biological network with the available microarray dataset downloaded from a public database. Quantitative real-time PCR, immunohistochemical staining, and CD31-periodic acid solution dual staining were performed to confirm the expression of genes associated with EMT and VM formation in subjects with malignant melanoma (n = 18) and primary melanoma (n = 13) and in healthy subjects (n = 10). Our findings suggested that phosphatidylserine-specific phospholipase A1-alpha (PLA1A) and dermokine (DMKN) genes function as oncogenes that trigger VM and EMT processes during melanomagenesis on interaction with miR-370, miR-563, and miR-770-5p. PLA1A and DMKN genes can be considered potential VM+EMT network-based diagnostic biomarkers for distinguishing between melanoma patients. We postulate that a network with altered PLA1A/miR-563 and DMNK/miR-770-5p/miR-370 may contribute to melanomagenesis by triggering the EMT signaling pathway and VM formation. This study provides a potentially valuable approach for the early diagnosis and prognosis of melanoma progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- WenFeng He
- Department of Oncology, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Gang Yang
- Department of Oncology, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China; Department of Oncology, Anyue Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Second Ziyang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ziyang, Sichuan, China
| | - Shuya Liu
- Department of Oncology, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China; Department of Oncology, Chengdu Jinniu District People's Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Mazaher Maghsoudloo
- Laboratory of Systems Biology and Bioinformatics, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran; Department of Genetics, Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Parham Jabbarzadeh Kaboli
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Research Center for Cancer Biology, and Center for Molecular Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Cuiwei Zhang
- Department of Pathology, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - JingHeng Zhang
- Oncology Department, Luzhou People's Hospital, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Maliheh Entezari
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran; Farhikhtegan Medical Convergence sciences Research Center, Farhikhtegan Hospital Tehran Medical sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Saber Imani
- Department of Oncology, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.
| | - QingLian Wen
- Department of Oncology, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.
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Mebendazole disrupts stromal desmoplasia and tumorigenesis in two models of pancreatic cancer. Oncotarget 2021; 12:1326-1338. [PMID: 34262644 PMCID: PMC8274724 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.28014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The five-year survival rate for metastatic pancreatic cancer is currently only 3%, which increases to 13% with local invasion only and to 39% with localized disease at diagnosis. Here we evaluated repurposed mebendazole, an approved anthelminthic drug, to determine how mebendazole might work at the different stages of pancreatic cancer formation and progression. We asked if mebendazole could prevent initiation of pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia precursor lesions, interfere with stromal desmoplasia, or suppress tumor growth and liver metastasis. In both the Kras LSL.G12D/+; Pdx1-Cre (KC) mouse model of caerulein-induced inflammatory pancreatitis and the Kras LSL.G12D/+; Tp53 R172H/+; Pdx1-Cre (KPC) mouse model of advanced pancreatic cancer, mebendazole significantly reduced pancreas weight, dysplasia and intraepithelial neoplasia formation, compared to controls. Mebendazole significantly reduced trichrome-positive fibrotic connective tissue and α-SMA-positive activated pancreatic stellate cells that heralds fibrogenesis. In the aggressive KPC model, mebendazole significantly suppressed pancreatic tumor growth, both as an early and late intervention. Mebendazole reduced the overall incidence of pancreatic cancer and severity of liver metastasis in KPC mice. Using early models of pancreatic cancer, treatment with mebendazole resulted in less inflammation, decreased dysplasia, with the later stage model additionally showing a decreased tumor burden, less advanced tumors, and a reduction of metastasis. We conclude that mebendazole should be investigated further as a component of adjuvant therapy to slow progression and prevent metastasis, and well as for primary prevention in the highest risk patients.
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Beirith I, Renz BW, Mudusetti S, Ring NS, Kolorz J, Koch D, Bazhin AV, Berger M, Wang J, Angele MK, D’Haese JG, Guba MO, Niess H, Andrassy J, Werner J, Ilmer M. Identification of the Neurokinin-1 Receptor as Targetable Stratification Factor for Drug Repurposing in Pancreatic Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13112703. [PMID: 34070805 PMCID: PMC8198055 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13112703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2021] [Revised: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The SP/NK1R-complex plays an important role in tumor proliferation. Targeting of the neurokinin-1 receptor in previous studies with its antagonist aprepitant (AP) resulted in anti-tumoral effects in colorectal cancer and hepatoblastoma. However, there is still a lack of knowledge regarding its effects on pancreatic cancer. Therefore, we treated human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cell lines (Capan-1, DanG, HuP-T3, Panc-1, and MIA PaCa-2) and their cancer stem cell-like cells (CSCs) with AP and analyzed functional effects by MTT-, colony, and sphere formation assays, respectively; moreover, we monitored downstream mechanisms by flow cytometry. NK1R inhibition resulted in dose-dependent growth reduction in both CSCs and non-CSCs without induction of apoptosis in most PDAC cell lines. More importantly, we identified striking AP dependent cell cycle arrest in all parental cells. Furthermore, gene expression and the importance of key genes in PDAC tumorigenesis were analyzed combining RT-qPCR in eight PDAC cell lines with publicly available datasets (TCGA, GEO, CCLE). Surprisingly, we found a better overall survival in patients with high NK1R levels, while at the same time, NK1R was significantly decreased in PDAC tissue compared to normal tissue. Interestingly, there is currently no differentiation between the isoforms of NK1R (truncated and full; NK1R-tr and -fl) in any of the indicated public transcriptomic records, although many publications already emphasize on important regulatory differences between the two isoforms of NK1R in many cancer entities. In conclusion, analysis of splice variants might potentially lead to a stratification of PDAC patients for NK1R-directed therapies. Furthermore, we presume PDAC patients with high expressions of NK1R-tr might benefit from treatment with AP to improve chemoresistance. Therefore, analysis of splice variants might potentially lead to a stratification of PDAC patients for NK1R-directed therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris Beirith
- Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany; (I.B.); (B.W.R.); (S.M.); (N.S.R.); (D.K.); (A.V.B.); (J.W.); (M.K.A.); (J.G.D.); (M.O.G.); (H.N.); (J.A.); (J.W.)
| | - Bernhard W. Renz
- Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany; (I.B.); (B.W.R.); (S.M.); (N.S.R.); (D.K.); (A.V.B.); (J.W.); (M.K.A.); (J.G.D.); (M.O.G.); (H.N.); (J.A.); (J.W.)
- German Center for Translations Cancer Research (DKTK), Partner Site Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Shristee Mudusetti
- Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany; (I.B.); (B.W.R.); (S.M.); (N.S.R.); (D.K.); (A.V.B.); (J.W.); (M.K.A.); (J.G.D.); (M.O.G.); (H.N.); (J.A.); (J.W.)
| | - Natalja Sergejewna Ring
- Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany; (I.B.); (B.W.R.); (S.M.); (N.S.R.); (D.K.); (A.V.B.); (J.W.); (M.K.A.); (J.G.D.); (M.O.G.); (H.N.); (J.A.); (J.W.)
| | - Julian Kolorz
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Research Laboratories, von Hauner Children’s Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 80337 Munich, Germany; (J.K.); (M.B.)
| | - Dominik Koch
- Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany; (I.B.); (B.W.R.); (S.M.); (N.S.R.); (D.K.); (A.V.B.); (J.W.); (M.K.A.); (J.G.D.); (M.O.G.); (H.N.); (J.A.); (J.W.)
| | - Alexandr V. Bazhin
- Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany; (I.B.); (B.W.R.); (S.M.); (N.S.R.); (D.K.); (A.V.B.); (J.W.); (M.K.A.); (J.G.D.); (M.O.G.); (H.N.); (J.A.); (J.W.)
- German Center for Translations Cancer Research (DKTK), Partner Site Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Michael Berger
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Research Laboratories, von Hauner Children’s Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 80337 Munich, Germany; (J.K.); (M.B.)
- Department of General, Abdominal and Transplant Surgery, Essen University Hospital, 45417 Essen, Germany
| | - Jing Wang
- Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany; (I.B.); (B.W.R.); (S.M.); (N.S.R.); (D.K.); (A.V.B.); (J.W.); (M.K.A.); (J.G.D.); (M.O.G.); (H.N.); (J.A.); (J.W.)
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230036, China
| | - Martin K. Angele
- Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany; (I.B.); (B.W.R.); (S.M.); (N.S.R.); (D.K.); (A.V.B.); (J.W.); (M.K.A.); (J.G.D.); (M.O.G.); (H.N.); (J.A.); (J.W.)
| | - Jan G. D’Haese
- Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany; (I.B.); (B.W.R.); (S.M.); (N.S.R.); (D.K.); (A.V.B.); (J.W.); (M.K.A.); (J.G.D.); (M.O.G.); (H.N.); (J.A.); (J.W.)
| | - Markus O. Guba
- Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany; (I.B.); (B.W.R.); (S.M.); (N.S.R.); (D.K.); (A.V.B.); (J.W.); (M.K.A.); (J.G.D.); (M.O.G.); (H.N.); (J.A.); (J.W.)
| | - Hanno Niess
- Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany; (I.B.); (B.W.R.); (S.M.); (N.S.R.); (D.K.); (A.V.B.); (J.W.); (M.K.A.); (J.G.D.); (M.O.G.); (H.N.); (J.A.); (J.W.)
| | - Joachim Andrassy
- Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany; (I.B.); (B.W.R.); (S.M.); (N.S.R.); (D.K.); (A.V.B.); (J.W.); (M.K.A.); (J.G.D.); (M.O.G.); (H.N.); (J.A.); (J.W.)
| | - Jens Werner
- Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany; (I.B.); (B.W.R.); (S.M.); (N.S.R.); (D.K.); (A.V.B.); (J.W.); (M.K.A.); (J.G.D.); (M.O.G.); (H.N.); (J.A.); (J.W.)
- German Center for Translations Cancer Research (DKTK), Partner Site Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Matthias Ilmer
- Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany; (I.B.); (B.W.R.); (S.M.); (N.S.R.); (D.K.); (A.V.B.); (J.W.); (M.K.A.); (J.G.D.); (M.O.G.); (H.N.); (J.A.); (J.W.)
- German Center for Translations Cancer Research (DKTK), Partner Site Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-089-4400-711218
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Novák Š, Kolář M, Szabó A, Vernerová Z, Lacina L, Strnad H, Šáchová J, Hradilová M, Havránek J, Španko M, Čoma M, Urban L, Kaňuchová M, Melegová N, Gürlich R, Dvořák J, Smetana K, Gál P, Szabo P. Desmoplastic Crosstalk in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Is Reflected by Different Responses of Panc-1, MIAPaCa-2, PaTu-8902, and CAPAN-2 Cell Lines to Cancer-associated/Normal Fibroblasts. Cancer Genomics Proteomics 2021; 18:221-243. [PMID: 33893076 DOI: 10.21873/cgp.20254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIM Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) still represents one of the most aggressive cancers. Understanding of the epithelial-mesenchymal crosstalk as a crucial part of the tumor microenvironment should pave the way for therapies to improve patient survival rates. Well-established cell lines present a useful and reproducible model to study PDAC biology. However, the tumor-stromal interactions between cancer cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are still poorly understood. MATERIALS AND METHODS We studied interactions between four PDAC cell lines (Panc-1, CAPAN-2, MIAPaCa-2, and PaTu-8902) and conditioned media derived from primary cultures of normal fibroblasts/PDAC-derived CAFs (PANFs). RESULTS When the tested PDAC cell lines were stimulated by PANF-derived conditioned media, the most aggressive behavior was acquired by the Panc-1 cell line (increased number and size of colonies, remaining expression of vimentin and keratin 8 as well as increase of epithelial-to-mesenchymal polarization markers), whereas PaTu-8902 cells were rather inhibited. Of note, administration of the conditioned media to MIAPaCa-2 cells resulted in an inverse effect on the size and number of colonies, whereas CAPAN-2 cells were rather stimulated. To explain the heterogeneous pattern of the observed PDAC crosstalk at the in vitro level, we further compared the phenotype of primary cultures of cells derived from ascitic fluid with that of the tested PDAC cell lines, analyzed tumor samples of PDAC patients, and performed gene expression profiling of PANFs. Immuno-cyto/histo-chemical analysis found specific phenotype differences within the group of examined patients and tested PDAC cell lines, whereas the genomic approach in PANFs found the key molecules (IL6, IL8, MFGE8 and periostin) that may contribute to the cancer aggressive behavior. CONCLUSION The desmoplastic patient-specific regulation of cancer cells by CAFs (also demonstrated by the heterogeneous response of PDAC cell lines to fibroblasts) precludes simple targeting and development of an effective treatment strategy and rather requires establishment of an individualized tumor-specific treatment protocol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Štepán Novák
- Institute of Anatomy, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.,Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and University Hospital Motol, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Kolář
- Laboratory of Genomics and Bioinformatics, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Arpád Szabó
- Department of Pathology, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and University Hospital Královske Vinohrady, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Zdena Vernerová
- Department of Pathology, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and University Hospital Královske Vinohrady, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Lukáš Lacina
- Institute of Anatomy, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.,BIOCEV, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Vestec, Czech Republic.,Department of Dermatology and Venereology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and General University Hospital in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Hynek Strnad
- Laboratory of Genomics and Bioinformatics, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jana Šáchová
- Laboratory of Genomics and Bioinformatics, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Miluše Hradilová
- Laboratory of Genomics and Bioinformatics, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Havránek
- Laboratory of Genomics and Bioinformatics, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic.,Department of Informatics and Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Španko
- Institute of Anatomy, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.,Department of Stomatology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and General University Hospital in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Matúš Čoma
- Department of Pharmacology, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, Košice, Slovak Republic.,Department of Biomedical Research, East-Slovak Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Košice, Slovak Republic
| | - Lukáš Urban
- Department of Biomedical Research, East-Slovak Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Košice, Slovak Republic.,Laboratory of Cell Interactions, Center of Clinical and Preclinical Research MediPark, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, Košice, Slovak Republic
| | - Miriam Kaňuchová
- Laboratory of Cell Interactions, Center of Clinical and Preclinical Research MediPark, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, Košice, Slovak Republic
| | - Nikola Melegová
- Laboratory of Cell Interactions, Center of Clinical and Preclinical Research MediPark, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, Košice, Slovak Republic
| | - Robert Gürlich
- Department of Surgery, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and University Hospital Královske Vinohrady, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Josef Dvořák
- Department of Oncology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Thomayer Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Karel Smetana
- Institute of Anatomy, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.,BIOCEV, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Peter Gál
- Department of Biomedical Research, East-Slovak Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Košice, Slovak Republic; .,Laboratory of Cell Interactions, Center of Clinical and Preclinical Research MediPark, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, Košice, Slovak Republic.,Prague Burn Centre, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and University Hospital Královske Vinohrady, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Pavol Szabo
- Institute of Anatomy, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic; .,BIOCEV, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Vestec, Czech Republic.,Department of Biomedical Research, East-Slovak Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Košice, Slovak Republic
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