Gene expression profile at single cell level of mesenchymal cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts from mouse pancreas
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ABSTRACT: Pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) are components of normal pancreatic mesenchyme, and give rise to cancer-associated fibroblasts during pancreatic tumorigenesis. We used single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to analyze PSCs and PSC-derived CAFs from normal pancreas and pancreatic cancer tissues, respectively.
Project description:Activated pancreatic stellate cells produce the fibrotic matrix in chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. In vitro protocols examining PSC biology have usually involved PSCs cultured on plastic, a non-physiological surface. However, PSCs cultured on physiological matrices e.g. MatrigelTM (normal basement membrane) and collagen (fibrotic pancreas), may have distinctly different behaviours compared to cells cultured on plastic. Therefore, we aimed to compare PSC gene expression after culture on plastic, MatrigelTM and collagen I.
Project description:Activated pancreatic stellate cells produce the fibrotic matrix in chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. In vitro protocols examining PSC biology have usually involved PSCs cultured on plastic, a non-physiological surface. However, PSCs cultured on physiological matrices e.g. MatrigelTM (normal basement membrane) and collagen (fibrotic pancreas), may have distinctly different behaviours compared to cells cultured on plastic. Therefore, we aimed to compare PSC gene expression after culture on plastic, MatrigelTM and collagen I. Total RNA from stellate cells in 10 cm Petri dishes was isolated by Qiagen RNeasy Mini Plus kit as per manufacturer’s instructions. The Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer (Agilent Technologies Inc. Santa Clara, CA) was used for quality control of the isolated total RNA. Gene expression profiles of rat PSCs cultured on MatrigelTM, collagen I and plastic were analysed by whole rat genome microarray purchased from Affymetrix (Rat Gene 1.0 ST Array). This array was able to detect 27,342 rat genes, with approximately 26 probes on average per gene (referred to as a probe set).
Project description:In pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), differentiation of pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) into myofibroblast-like cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) promotes fibrotic, therapy-resistant tumours. Conversely, suppression of CAFs can result in aggressive metastatic tumours. Here we show that the Rho-effector kinase protein kinase N2 (PKN2) is critical for PSC myofibroblast differentiation. Loss of PKN2 was associated with reduced PSC proliferation and contractility, retention of lipid droplets and decreased a-SMA stress fibres. PKN2 loss was also associated with a myofibroblast CAF to -like inflammatory CAF switch in the PSC matrisome signature both in vitro and in vivo. In spheroid co-cultures with PDAC cells, loss of PKN2 prevented PSC invasion but, counter-intuitively, promoted invasive cancer cell outgrowth. Further, deletion of PKN2 in the pancreatic stroma induced more locally invasive, orthotopic pancreatic tumours. Finally, we demonstrated that a PKN2KO PKN2 KO matrisome signature predicts poor outcome in pancreatic and other solid human cancers. Our data indicate that suppressing PSC myofibroblast differentiation function can limit important stromal tumour suppressive mechanisms, while promoting a switch to a cancer-supporting CAF phenotype.
Project description:In pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), differentiation of pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) into myofibroblast-like cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) promotes fibrotic, therapy-resistant tumours. Conversely, suppression of CAFs can result in aggressive metastatic tumours. Here we show that the Rho-effector kinase protein kinase N2 (PKN2) is critical for PSC myofibroblast differentiation. Loss of PKN2 was associated with reduced PSC proliferation and contractility, retention of lipid droplets and decreased a-SMA stress fibres. PKN2 loss was also associated with a myofibroblast CAF to -like inflammatory CAF switch in the PSC matrisome signature both in vitro and in vivo. In spheroid co-cultures with PDAC cells, loss of PKN2 prevented PSC invasion but, counter-intuitively, promoted invasive cancer cell outgrowth. Further, deletion of PKN2 in the pancreatic stroma induced more locally invasive, orthotopic pancreatic tumours. Finally, we demonstrated that a PKN2KO PKN2 KO matrisome signature predicts poor outcome in pancreatic and other solid human cancers. Our data indicate that suppressing PSC myofibroblast differentiation function can limit important stromal tumour suppressive mechanisms, while promoting a switch to a cancer-supporting CAF phenotype.
Project description:Pancreatic stellate cells are thought to be the predominant source of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in pancreatic cancer. We developed a mouse model which allows us to track and analyze stellate cells and stellate cell-derived CAFs in vivo during pancreatic tumorigenesis for the first time. We find that stellate cells in fact give rise to a minority of all CAFs. Here, we have used lineage reporters to isolate stellate cell-derived and non-stellate cell-derived CAFs and compared them by RNA-seq.
Project description:The major objective of this study was to characterise theHapT1 orthotopic hamster pancreatic tumor as a preclinical model of desmoplastic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma; and use this model to validate the efficacy of drugs that kills activated pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs)in vitro. Experimentaldesign: Commercially procured HapT1 pancreatic cancer (PCA) cell line was implanted in the pancreas of its syngeneic host, Syrian golden hamster (Mesocricetusauratus). After certain time period the primary and secondary tumors were harvested for histological andimmunophynotypical analysis. PSCs of hamsters were harvested, cultured and characterised. The in-cultured activated rodent PSCs and commercially procured human PSCs were used to check the cytotoxic effect of Disulfiram (DSF) in presence and absence of copper (Cu )in vitro. Finally, theHapT1 orthotopic tumor model was used to check the efficacy of DSF in vivo.
Project description:The poor clinical outcome in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) has been attributed to intrinsic resistance to chemotherapy and a growth-permissive tumor microenvironment. Quiescent pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) are neuroendocrine, nestin-positive, lipid-accumulating cells whose homologues in the liver are the principal repository of Vitamin A esters. Upon activation, lipid droplets are lost and via transdifferentiation they become the key cell type responsible for driving the severe desmoplasia that characterizes PDA. Despite their critical role in PDA progression and chemoresistance, therapeutic strategies targeting PSCs are lacking. Here we identified the vitamin D receptor (VDR) as a master genomic regulator of PSC activation and function. In vitro we demonstrate that VDR activation reduces expression in PSCs of genes implicated in activation, inflammation, and extracellular matrix production, as well as restoring lipid droplet integrity. In vivo, the VDR ligand calcipotriol enhances the anti-tumor effects of gemcitabine by increasing intratumoral concentration 5-fold, reducing tumor volume to near baseline and lowering metastases by more than 65%. These findings implicate VDR as a master regulator of PSC activation and identify a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. RNA-Seq analyses was used to characterize cancer-associated changes between pre-activated (3-day culture) and activated (7-day culture) primary mouse PSCs, as well as control and PDA human PSCs. RNA-Seq was also used to assess the impact of VDR activation (DMSO vs calcipotriol) in a human PSC line (MiaPaCa-2), the mouse primary PSCs
Project description:Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) progresses in an organ with a unique pH landscape, where the stroma acidifies after each meal. We hypothesized that disrupting this pH landscape during PDAC progression triggers pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) to induce PDAC fibrosis. We revealed that alkaline environmental pH is sufficient to induce PSC differentiation to a myofibroblastic phenotype. We then mechanistically dissected this finding focusing on the involvement of the Na+/H+ exchanger NHE1. Perturbing cellular pH homeostasis by inhibiting NHE1 with cariporide partially alters the myofibroblastic PSC phenotype. To show the relevance of this finding in vivo, we targeted NHE1 in murine PDAC (KPfC). Indeed, tumor fibrosis decreases when mice receive the NHE1-inhibitor cariporide in addition to gemcitabine treatment. Moreover, the tumor immune infiltrate shifts from granulocyte-rich to more lymphocytic. Taken together, our study provides mechanistic evidence on how the pancreatic pH landscape shapes pancreatic cancer through tuning PSC differentiation.
Project description:Pancreas study with 5 sub-studies: (i) 14 assays (7 done on Affymetrix MGU74Av2 and 7 on MOE430 2.0) looking at 7 different time points in pancreas development, (ii) 2 assays (done on Affymetrix MGU74Av2) looking at tumorgenic cell lines alphaTC and betaTC, (iii) 8 assays (6 done on Affymetrix MGU74Av2 and 2 done on MOE430 2.0) looking at Ngn3 mutant and wildtype pancreas at 3 different embryonic time points in pancreas development, (iv) 3 assays (done on Affymetrix MGU74Av2) looking at embryonic e12.5, newborn pancreas and adult islets, (v) 3 assays (done on Affymetrix MGU74Av2) looking at e11.5 separated pancreatic epithelium and mesenchyme or the intact e11.5 pancreas.
Project description:Transcriptomic profiling of pancreatic cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) was done to evaluate the expression of GPCRs. The same was also done for normal pancreatic stellate cells, so as to evaluate whether a population of GPCRs shows increased expression in CAFs vs their normal precursors. We report the discovery of a novel GPCR in CAFs; we demonstrate this GPCR helps to drive the cross-talk between CAFs and cancer cells, enhancing the growth of pancreatic cancer cells.