Dataset Information

Pancreatic cancer-associated retinoblastoma 1 dysfunction enables TGF-? to promote proliferation.

ABSTRACT: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is often associated with overexpression of TGF-?. Given its tumor suppressor functions, it is unclear whether TGF-? is a valid therapeutic target for PDAC. Here, we found that proliferating pancreatic cancer cells (PCCs) from human PDAC patients and multiple murine models of PDAC (mPDAC) often exhibit abundant levels of phosphorylated retinoblastoma 1 (RB) and Smad2. TGF-?1 treatment enhanced proliferation of PCCs isolated from KrasG12D-driven mPDAC that lacked RB (KRC cells). This mitogenic effect was abrogated by pharmacological inhibition of type I TGF-? receptor kinase, combined inhibition of MEK/Src or MEK/PI3K, and restoration of RB expression. TGF-?1 promoted epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasion, Smad2/3 phosphorylation, Src activation, Wnt reporter activity, and Smad-dependent upregulation of Wnt7b in KRC cells. Importantly, TGF-?1-induced mitogenesis was markedly attenuated by inhibition of Wnt secretion. In an in vivo syngeneic orthotopic model, inhibition of TGF-? signaling suppressed KRC cell proliferation, tumor growth, stroma formation, EMT, metastasis, ascites formation, and Wnt7b expression, and markedly prolonged survival. Together, these data indicate that RB dysfunction converts TGF-? to a mitogen that activates known oncogenic signaling pathways and upregulates Wnt7b, which synergize to promote PCC invasion, survival, and mitogenesis. Furthermore, this study suggests that concomitantly targeting TGF-? and Wnt7b signaling in PDAC may disrupt these aberrant pathways, which warrants further evaluation in preclinical models.

SUBMITTER: Gore AJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3871249 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Pancreatic cancer-associated retinoblastoma 1 dysfunction enables TGF-β to promote proliferation.

Gore A Jesse AJ Deitz Samantha L SL Palam Lakshmi Reddy LR Craven Kelly E KE Korc Murray M

The Journal of clinical investigation 20131216 1

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is often associated with overexpression of TGF-β. Given its tumor suppressor functions, it is unclear whether TGF-β is a valid therapeutic target for PDAC. Here, we found that proliferating pancreatic cancer cells (PCCs) from human PDAC patients and multiple murine models of PDAC (mPDAC) often exhibit abundant levels of phosphorylated retinoblastoma 1 (RB) and Smad2. TGF-β1 treatment enhanced proliferation of PCCs isolated from KrasG12D-driven mPDAC that l ...[more]

PMID: 24334458

Similar Datasets

Project description:Endometrial cancer is the most commonly diagnosed gynecologic malignancy worldwide; yet the tumor microenvironment, especially the fibroblast cells surrounding the cancer cells, is poorly understood. We established four primary cultures of fibroblasts from human endometrial cancer tissues (cancer-associated fibroblasts, CAFs) using antibody-conjugated magnetic bead isolation. These relatively homogenous fibroblast cultures expressed fibroblast markers (CD90, vimentin and alpha-smooth muscle actin) and hormonal (estrogen and progesterone) receptors. Conditioned media collected from CAFs induced a dose-dependent proliferation of both primary cultures and cell lines of endometrial cancer in vitro (175%) when compared to non-treated cells, in contrast to those from normal endometrial fibroblast cell line (51%) (P<0.0001). These effects were not observed in fibroblast culture derived from benign endometrial hyperplasia tissues, indicating the specificity of CAFs in affecting endometrial cancer cell proliferation. To determine the mechanism underlying the differential fibroblast effects, we compared the activation of PI3K/Akt and MAPK/Erk pathways in endometrial cancer cells following treatment with normal fibroblasts- and CAFs-conditioned media. Western blot analysis showed that the expression of both phosphorylated forms of Akt and Erk were significantly down-regulated in normal fibroblasts-treated cells, but were up-regulated/maintained in CAFs-treated cells. Treatment with specific inhibitors LY294002 and U0126 reversed the CAFs-mediated cell proliferation (P<0.0001), suggesting for a role of these pathways in modulating endometrial cancer cell proliferation. Rapamycin, which targets a downstream molecule in PI3K pathway (mTOR), also suppressed CAFs-induced cell proliferation by inducing apoptosis. Cytokine profiling analysis revealed that CAFs secrete higher levels of macrophage chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, RANTES and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) than normal fibroblasts. Our data suggests that in contrast to normal fibroblasts, CAFs may exhibit a pro-tumorigenic effect in the progression of endometrial cancer, and PI3K/Akt and MAPK/Erk signaling may represent critical regulators in how endometrial cancer cells respond to their microenvironment.

Dataset Information

Pancreatic cancer-associated retinoblastoma 1 dysfunction enables TGF-? to promote proliferation.

Publications

Pancreatic cancer-associated retinoblastoma 1 dysfunction enables TGF-β to promote proliferation.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets