C-Rel drives pancreatic cancer metastasis through fibronectin-integrin signaling- induced isolation stress resistance and EMT
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ABSTRACT: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains one of the deadliest malignancies, with limited treatment options and a high recurrence rate. Recurrence happens often with metastasis, for which cancer cells must adapt to isolation stress to successfully colonize distant organs. While the fibronectin-integrin axis has been implicated in this adaptation, its regulatory mechanisms require further elaboration. Here, we identify c-Rel as an oncogenic driver in PDAC, promoting epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plasticity, extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling, and resistance to isolation stress. c-Rel directly regulates fibronectin (Fn1) and CD61 (itgb3) transcription, enhancing cellular plasticity and survival under anchorage-independent conditions. Fibronectin is not essential for EMT, but its absence significantly impairs metastatic colonization. These findings establish c-Rel as a key regulator of PDAC metastasis by controlling cellular niche and survival under isolation stress. Overall, targeting the c-Rel–fibronectin–integrin axis could provide new therapeutic strategies to mitigate disease progression and recurrence.
ORGANISM(S): Mus
PROVIDER: GSE291806 | GEO | 2026/03/02
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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