Project description:The mechanisms involved in promoting metastasis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma have yet to be elucidated. Here, we show that AnnexinA2 regulates the secretion of Semaphorin3D from pancreatic tumor cells allowing it to bind to its receptor PlexinD1 on the surface of the tumor cell, which induces invasion and metastasis. Knockdown of AnnexinA2 or Semaphorin3D decreases the metastatic potential of pancreatic tumor cells, while over expression of AnnexinA2 or Semaphorin3D is sufficient to rescue the invasion capacity of these cells. Clinically, we found that Semaphorin3D expression correlates with poor survival and increased metastatic potential in human PDA patients. This study identified a novel axon guidance pathway downstream of AnnexinA2 that can be targeted in the treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer. Two primary pancreatic tumor cell lines were analyzed. The first primary line was derived from a KrasG12D/p53172H/Pdx-1Cre mouse, which served as the reference sample. The second primary line was derived from a KrasG12D/p53R172H/Pdx-1Cre/AnxA2-/- mouse.
Project description:The mechanisms involved in promoting metastasis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma have yet to be elucidated. Here, we show that AnnexinA2 regulates the secretion of Semaphorin3D from pancreatic tumor cells allowing it to bind to its receptor PlexinD1 on the surface of the tumor cell, which induces invasion and metastasis. Knockdown of AnnexinA2 or Semaphorin3D decreases the metastatic potential of pancreatic tumor cells, while over expression of AnnexinA2 or Semaphorin3D is sufficient to rescue the invasion capacity of these cells. Clinically, we found that Semaphorin3D expression correlates with poor survival and increased metastatic potential in human PDA patients. This study identified a novel axon guidance pathway downstream of AnnexinA2 that can be targeted in the treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer.
Project description:We have previously established two sibling glioma subclones, J3T-1 and J3T-2, showing distinct invasive and angiogenic phenotypes. J3T-1, expressing high annexin A2, demonstrates robust angiogenesis and tumor invasion around neovasculature. J3T-2, expressing low annexin A2, demonstrates diffuse invasion along white matter tracts. Knockdown of annexin A2 in J3T-1 (J3T-1shA) resulted in diffuse invasion pattern, and overexpression of annexin A2 in J3T-2 (J3T-2A) showed prominent angiogenesis. We used microarrays to identify genes which promote the phenotypic transition regulated by annexin A2.
Project description:Recently, genome-wide molecular analyses have identified an altered axon guidance SLIT-ROBO signaling pathway in Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). To examine whether ROBO3 signaling is involved in the transcriptional determination of basal-like PDAC-subtype specification and functions, we performed RNA-seq analysis following ROBO3 silencing in the basal-like cell line PANC1.
Project description:Pancreatic cancer (PC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer death with an overall 5-year survival rate of < 5%, a statistic that has changed little in almost 50 years. A deeper understanding of the underlying molecular pathophysiology is expected to advance the urgent need to develop novel therapeutic and early detection strategies for this disease. Genomic characterisation of PC has previously relied on targeted PCR based exome sequencing of small cohorts of mixed primary and metastatic lesions propagated as xenografts or cell lines (Jones et al, Science 321:1801-1806), leaving the true mutational spectrum of the clinical disease largely unresolved. Here we use exome sequencing (https://www.ebi.ac.uk/ega/studies/EGAS00001000154) and copy number analysis (not submitted) to define genomic aberrations in a prospectively accrued clinical cohort (n = 142) of early (Stage I and II) pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Detailed analysis of 99 informative tumours identified 1982 non-silent mutations and 1628 significant CNV events, and defined 439 significantly mutated genes based on stringent Significant Mutated Gene or GISTIC analysis. Integration with functional data from in vitro shRNA and in vivo Sleeping Beauty-mediated somatic mutagenesis screens provided supportive evidence for 184 of these as candidate driver mutations. Pathway based analysis recapitulated clustering of mutations in core signalling pathways in PC, and identified multiple new components in each, particularly in DNA damage repair mechanisms (ATM, TOP2A, TLM, RPA1). We also identified frequent somatic aberrations in genes involved in novel mechanisms including chromatin modification (SWI/SNF complex members, SETD2, EPC1), and axon guidance (Semaphorin, Slit, Netrin and Ephrin signalling), extending the number of core perturbed pathways in PC. Aberrant expression of axon guidance genes co- segregated with poor patient survival, and in animal models was associated with disease development and progression, further implicating perturbation of the axon guidance pathway as a novel mechanism important in PC. This dataset includes gene expression data from 90 primary tumour samples, 88 of which were used in this manuscript for survival analysis. Much of this data is also available through the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) Data Portal (http://dcc/icgc.org), under the project code: "Pancreatic Cancer (QCMG, AU)". Access to the strictly restricted clinical data must be made through the ICGC Data Access Compliance Office (http://www.icgc.org/daco). This dataset contains expression array data from 90 primary pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma samples. One sample is present with two biological replicates, all others have 1 biological replicate.
Project description:Whole genome expression profiling in the presence and absence of annexin A2 [shRNA] identified fundamentally altered transcriptional programming that changes the radioresponsive transcriptome. Bioinformatics predicted that silencing AnxA2 may enhance cell death responses to stress in association with reduced activation of pro-survival signals such as nuclear factor kappa B. This prediction was validated by demonstrating a significant increase in sensitivity toward tumor necrosis factor alpha induced cell death in annexin A2 silenced cells, relative to vector controls, associated with reduced nuclear translocation of RelA (p65) following tumor necrosis factor alpha treatment. Murine progenitor cells, JB6 cell line, were stably transformed with Annexin A2 shRNA or vector only control and then treated with ionizing radiation at two doses, 10cGy and 100cGy. Samples were collected at 2hr, 6hr and 24hr for RNA isolation. Two untreated time points were collected also: 2hr and 24hr.
Project description:Whole genome expression profiling in the presence and absence of annexin A2 [shRNA] identified fundamentally altered transcriptional programming that changes the radioresponsive transcriptome. Bioinformatics predicted that silencing AnxA2 may enhance cell death responses to stress in association with reduced activation of pro-survival signals such as nuclear factor kappa B. This prediction was validated by demonstrating a significant increase in sensitivity toward tumor necrosis factor alpha induced cell death in annexin A2 silenced cells, relative to vector controls, associated with reduced nuclear translocation of RelA (p65) following tumor necrosis factor alpha treatment.
Project description:Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDA) is a critical health issue in cancer field with little new therapeutic options. Several evidences support an implication of intra-tumoral microenvironment (stroma) on PDA progression. However, its contribution to the role of neuroplastic changes within pathophysiology and clinical course of PDA, mainly through tumor recurrence and neuropathic pain, remains unknown neglecting a putative therapeutic window. Here, we report that intra-tumoral microenvironment is a mediator of PDA Associated Neural Remodeling (PANR). With laser capture microdissection of stromal/tumoral compartment from human PDA followed by cDNA based microarray analyses we highlighted numerous factors expressed by stromal compartment that could impact on neuroplastic changes; among them, the Slit2/Robo axon guidance pathway. Using co-culture in vitro, we showed that stromal secreted Slit2 increases DRG neurite outgrowth and Schwann cells migration/proliferation by modulating N-Cadherin/β-Catenin signaling. Importantly, Slit2/Robo signaling inhibition disrupts this stromal/neural connection. Finally, we revealed in vivo that Slit2 expression is correlated with neural remodeling within Human and mouse PDA. These results demonstrate the implication of microenvironment, through secretion of axon guidance molecule, in PANR. Furthermore, it provides rationale to investigate the disruption of stromal/neural compartment dialogue by using Slit2/Robo pathway inhibitors for treatment of pancreatic cancer recurrence and associated pain.
Project description:The biology of metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is distinct from that of the primary tumor. We detected an upregulation of the secreted axon guidance molecule Netrin-1 (Ntn1) in human and mouse PDAC metastases that signals through its receptor, uncoordinated- 5b (Unc5b) to facilitate metastasis in vitro and in vivo. The mechanism of Ntn1 induction in liver metastasis is mediated by hepatic stellate cell (HSC) secreted retinoic acid through RXR/RAR and Elf3 signaling. Ntn1 is present in PDAC-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) and facilitates metastasis by inducing HSC activation through both long and short distance intercellular communication. Importantly, administration of a neutralizing monoclonal NTN1 antibody decreased metastases and increased survival in several murine PDAC models (autochthonous and metastatic). Our studies reveal a new metabolic feed-forward loop for metastatic niche formation in the liver involving NTN1 in PDAC-secreted EVs and retinoic acid released from HSCs which is targetable using anti-NTN1 therapy.