A multi-omics approach identifies pancreatic cancer cell extracellular vesicles as mediators of the unfolded protein response in normal pancreatic epithelial cells
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ABSTRACT: The early molecular mechanisms of pancreas cancer development remain elusive. A key driver of poor patient outcomes remains late-stage diagnosis of disease, typically when patients present with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Currently, no diagnostics exist to identify indolent disease. It is crucial to identify the early molecular events that drive the transformation of naïve cells to a neoplastic phenotype. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanometer sized lipid-bilayer particles released from cells of almost all known tissue types. EVs carry an array of biomolecules which are internalized by neighboring and distant cells, critical for facilitating intracellular communication. Although cancer derived EVs impact a myriad of cancer progression events including tumor proliferation, immune escape, and metastasis, their role in mediating early onset of PDAC is unknown. In this study, we report on alterations in the gene expression profiles of normal pancreatic epithelial cells upon internalization of PDAC cell derived EVs (cEVs). Leveraging a layered multi-omics approach, we show that cEVs induce endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and the unfolded protein response in recipient normal pancreatic epithelial cells within 24 hours. Consequently, cEV treated cells demonstrated increased proliferation. cEV cargo was enriched for an array of biomolecules which can induce or regulate ER stress and the UPR, including lipid species esterified to palmitic acid, sphingomyelins, metabolites which regulate tRNA charging and protein trafficking and degradation proteins. These results highlight a role for pancreatic cancer cEVs to induce stress in recipient normal pancreas cells; studying these genetic, metabolic and proteomic perturbations may lead to valuable insight to disease etiology and early biomarker identification.
ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens
PROVIDER: GSE181625 | GEO | 2022/06/23
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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