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Salas-Escabillas DJ, Hoffman MT, Moore JS, Brender SM, Wen HJ, Benitz S, Davis ET, Long D, Wombwell AM, Steele NG, Sears RC, Matsumoto I, DelGiorno KE, Crawford HC. Tuft cells transdifferentiate to neural-like progenitor cells in the progression of pancreatic cancer. bioRxiv 2024:2024.02.12.579982. [PMID: 38405804 PMCID: PMC10888969 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.12.579982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is partly initiated through the transdifferentiation of acinar cells to metaplastic ducts that act as precursors of neoplasia and cancer. Tuft cells are solitary chemosensory cells not found in the normal pancreas but arise in metaplasia and neoplasia, diminishing as neoplastic lesions progress to carcinoma. Metaplastic tuft cells (mTCs) function to suppress tumor progression through communication with the tumor microenvironment, but their fate during progression is unknown. To determine the fate of mTCs during PDA progression, we have created a lineage tracing model that uses a tamoxifen-inducible tuft-cell specific Pou2f3CreERT/+ driver to induce transgene expression, including the lineage tracer tdTomato or the oncogene Myc. mTC lineage trace models of pancreatic neoplasia and carcinoma were used to follow mTC fate. We found that mTCs, in the carcinoma model, transdifferentiate into neural-like progenitor cells (NRPs), a cell type associated with poor survival in PDA patients. Using conditional knock-out and overexpression systems, we found that Myc activity in mTCs is necessary and sufficient to induce this Tuft-to-Neuroendocrine-Transition (TNT).
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J. Salas-Escabillas
- Cancer Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
- Department of Surgery, Henry Ford Health, Detroit, MI
| | - Megan T. Hoffman
- Department of Immunology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | | | | | - Hui-Ju Wen
- Department of Surgery, Henry Ford Health, Detroit, MI
| | - Simone Benitz
- Department of Surgery, Henry Ford Health, Detroit, MI
| | | | - Dan Long
- Department of Surgery, Henry Ford Health, Detroit, MI
| | | | | | - Rosalie C. Sears
- Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR
| | | | - Kathleen E. DelGiorno
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN
| | - Howard C. Crawford
- Department of Surgery, Henry Ford Health, Detroit, MI
- Cancer Biology Program, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
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Scales MK, Velez-Delgado A, Steele NG, Schrader HE, Stabnick AM, Yan W, Mercado Soto NM, Nwosu ZC, Johnson C, Zhang Y, Salas-Escabillas DJ, Menjivar RE, Maurer HC, Crawford HC, Bednar F, Olive KP, Pasca di Magliano M, Allen BL. Combinatorial Gli activity directs immune infiltration and tumor growth in pancreatic cancer. PLoS Genet 2022; 18:e1010315. [PMID: 35867772 PMCID: PMC9348714 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Revised: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Proper Hedgehog (HH) signaling is essential for embryonic development, while aberrant HH signaling drives pediatric and adult cancers. HH signaling is frequently dysregulated in pancreatic cancer, yet its role remains controversial, with both tumor-promoting and tumor-restraining functions reported. Notably, the GLI family of HH transcription factors (GLI1, GLI2, GLI3), remain largely unexplored in pancreatic cancer. We therefore investigated the individual and combined contributions of GLI1-3 to pancreatic cancer progression. At pre-cancerous stages, fibroblast-specific Gli2/Gli3 deletion decreases immunosuppressive macrophage infiltration and promotes T cell infiltration. Strikingly, combined loss of Gli1/Gli2/Gli3 promotes macrophage infiltration, indicating that subtle changes in Gli expression differentially regulate immune infiltration. In invasive tumors, Gli2/Gli3 KO fibroblasts exclude immunosuppressive myeloid cells and suppress tumor growth by recruiting natural killer cells. Finally, we demonstrate that fibroblasts directly regulate macrophage and T cell migration through the expression of Gli-dependent cytokines. Thus, the coordinated activity of GLI1-3 directs the fibroinflammatory response throughout pancreatic cancer progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael K. Scales
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Ashley Velez-Delgado
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Nina G. Steele
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Hannah E. Schrader
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Anna M. Stabnick
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Wei Yan
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Nayanna M. Mercado Soto
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Zeribe C. Nwosu
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Craig Johnson
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Yaqing Zhang
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
- Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | | | - Rosa E. Menjivar
- Cellular and Molecular Biology Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - H. Carlo Maurer
- Department of Medicine, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York city, New York, United States of America
- Internal Medicine II, School of Medicine, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Howard C. Crawford
- Department of Surgery, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Filip Bednar
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
- Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Kenneth P. Olive
- Department of Medicine, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York city, New York, United States of America
- Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York city, New York, United States of America
| | - Marina Pasca di Magliano
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
- Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Benjamin L. Allen
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
- Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
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Salas-Escabillas DJ, Hoffman M, Crawford HC. Abstract PO-059: Understanding the lineage of metaplastic tuft cells in the progression of PDA. Cancer Res 2020. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.panca20-po-059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is unique as it is marked by a dramatic increase in the collagen deposition tumor microenvironment. This microenvironment in pancreatic tumors is composed of immune cells and reactive fibroblasts, with the tumor cells themselves comprising only a small proportion of the overall mass. Nearby normal epithelial tissue is also reactive, undergoing a transdifferentiation event known as acinar-to-ductal metaplasia (ADM), where normal acinar cells are replaced by metaplastic duct-like structures. Collectively neoplastic and metaplastic epithelium orchestrate the immune and fibrotic response, and understanding how the pancreatic epithelia communicate to the microenvironment may lead to more effective clinical treatments. Metaplastic tuft cells (MTCs) are a specialized subset of the epithelium that has the potential to drive tumor progression through communication with the microenvironment and modulate PDA progression. Also known as solitary chemosensory cells, tuft cells were first discovered in rodent luminal surfaces more than 60 years ago. They are characterized by the “tuft” of microvilli reaching into the lumen and, only recently, studies have started to determine the role of normal tuft cells in different organs. These studies determined that tuft cells have different roles depending on the organ in which they reside. Studies have shown that tuft cells are not present in a normal pancreas. MTCs are only present in the pancreas in PanINs during PDA progression in both humans and mice. Furthermore, the population of MTCs in the pancreas disappears as PDA progresses into invasive carcinoma. MTCs also express other markers outside of the taste sensing proteins, including POU2f3/SKN-1alpha, and DCLK1. We know little about the role of MTCs in the pancreas, but prior studies have suggested their role as a progenitor cell during PDA. However, these studies do not exclusively mark MTCs during their genesis in a progressive model of PDA due to a lack of mouse model as well as the complexity of culturing them ex vivo. We have generated a unique mouse model to drive lineage tracing of MTCs during PDA, and I have preliminary data to suggest that tuft cells can transdifferentiate into neuroendocrine-like cells during PDA progression. Neuroendocrine (NE) cells are found in aggressive cancers such as prostate and small cell lung cancer. They are characterized by markers such as Synaptophysin (SYP), as well as an upregulation of MYC which has been found to be more aggressive in different cancers. Rosalie Sears, at the Oregon Health and Science University, a specialist of MYC function in PDA, has shown that NE cells in the pancreas not only originate from acinar cells, where MTCs originate but whose presence is associated with poor survival and resistance to treatment in PDA. She has also shown that MYC plays a key role in the regulation of NE cells in PDA. Through my dissertation research, I will investigate tuft to NE-like transdifferentiation and its role in PDA progression.
Citation Format: Daniel J. Salas-Escabillas, Megan Hoffman, Howard C. Crawford. Understanding the lineage of metaplastic tuft cells in the progression of PDA [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer; 2020 Sep 29-30. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(22 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-059.
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Hoffman MT, Kemp SB, Salas-Escabillas DJ, Zhang Y, Steele NG, The S, Long D, Benitz S, Yan W, Margolskee RF, Bednar F, Pasca di Magliano M, Wen HJ, Crawford HC. The Gustatory Sensory G-Protein GNAT3 Suppresses Pancreatic Cancer Progression in Mice. Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol 2020; 11:349-369. [PMID: 32882403 PMCID: PMC7779788 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcmgh.2020.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Revised: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) initiation and progression are accompanied by an immunosuppressive inflammatory response. Here, we evaluated the immunomodulatory role of chemosensory signaling in metaplastic tuft cells (MTCs) by analyzing the role of GNAT3, a gustatory pathway G-protein expressed by MTCs, during PDA progression. METHODS Gnat3-null (Gnat3-/-) mice were crossbred with animals harboring a Cre-inducible KrasLSL-G12D/+ allele with either Ptf1aCre/+ (KC) or tamoxifen-inducible Ptf1aCreERT/+ (KCERT) mice to drive oncogenic KRAS expression in the pancreas. Ex vivo organoid conditioned medium generated from KC and Gnat3-/-;KC acinar cells was analyzed for cytokine secretion. Experimental pancreatitis was induced in KCERT and Gnat3-/-;KCERT mice to accelerate tumorigenesis, followed by analysis using mass cytometry and single-cell RNA sequencing. To study PDA progression, KC and Gnat3-/-;KC mice were aged to morbidity or 52 weeks. RESULTS Ablation of Gnat3 in KC organoids increased release of tumor-promoting cytokines in conditioned media, including CXCL1 and CXCL2. Analysis of Gnat3-/-;KCERT pancreata found altered expression of immunomodulatory genes in Cxcr2 expressing myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and an increased number of granulocytic MDSCs, a subset of tumor promoting MDSCs. Importantly, expression levels of CXCL1 and CXCL2, known ligands for CXCR2, were also elevated in Gnat3-/-;KCERT pancreata. Consistent with the tumor-promoting role of MDSCs, aged Gnat3-/-;KC mice progressed more rapidly to metastatic carcinoma compared with KC controls. CONCLUSIONS Compromised gustatory sensing, achieved by Gnat3 ablation, enhanced the CXCL1/2-CXCR2 axis to alter the MDSC population and promoted the progression of metastatic PDA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan T Hoffman
- Rogel Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Samantha B Kemp
- Rogel Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Daniel J Salas-Escabillas
- Rogel Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Yaqing Zhang
- Rogel Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Nina G Steele
- Rogel Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Stephanie The
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Daniel Long
- Rogel Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Simone Benitz
- Rogel Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Wei Yan
- Rogel Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | | | - Filip Bednar
- Rogel Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Marina Pasca di Magliano
- Rogel Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Hui-Ju Wen
- Rogel Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Howard C Crawford
- Rogel Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
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Hoffman MT, The S, Salas-Escabillas DJ, DelGiorno KE, Bednar F, Margolskee RF, Rao A, Crawford HC. Abstract A19: The role of metaplastic tuft cell chemosensory signaling in pancreatic cancer. Cancer Res 2019. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.panca19-a19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is the third most common cause of cancer death in the US with a 9% 5-year survival rate. PDA is characterized by a robust stromal reaction, a large portion of which is composed of infiltrating immune cells and supported by fibroblasts. This fibroinflammatory response promotes both the initiation and progression of PDA. Key to this progression is the crosstalk between the tumor epithelium and immune compartment. Metaplastic tuft cells (MTCs) are a subset of the neoplastic epithelium derived by the transdifferentiation of acinar cells. Tuft cells have been characterized to have a “sense-and-respond” role in luminal surfaces throughout the body, using the taste chemosensory system to promote an inflammatory response in infected and damaged tissues. Among the pancreatic epithelium, MTCs uniquely express components of the gustation sensory system including taste receptors, TRPM5 and αGustducin, as well as an array of inflammatory cytokines, suggesting they are capable of promoting an immune response to extracellular challenges. To explore this hypothesis, we ablated αGustducin, a key protein in the chemosensory cascade, in a model of pancreatitis-associated tumorigenesis. We found that neoplasia in the GNAT3-/-; KrasG12D; PTF1aCreERT mice initiates and progresses more rapidly, a difference associated with alteration in immune cell subtypes. To further quantitate changes in the immune response, we performed mass cytometry (CyTOF), as a way to explore changes in cell number and type, and single-cell sequencing, to more deeply probe the unique gene signatures of cells within the tumor stroma. These large-scale analyses suggest substantial changes in the number of T-cell and myeloid cell populations, as well as alterations of fibroblasts and myeloid cell polarity. We conclude that MTCs use chemosensory signaling to promote the formation of a tumor-suppressive microenvironment.
Citation Format: Megan T. Hoffman, Stephanie The, Daniel J. Salas-Escabillas, Kathleen E. DelGiorno, Filip Bednar, Robert F. Margolskee, Arvind Rao, Howard C. Crawford. The role of metaplastic tuft cell chemosensory signaling in pancreatic cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer: Advances in Science and Clinical Care; 2019 Sept 6-9; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(24 Suppl):Abstract nr A19.
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