Project description:We found that BAP1 (BRCA1 Associated Protein-1) shows loss of heterozygosity in over 25% of pancreatic cancer patients and functions as tumor suppressor. Conditional deletion of Bap1 in murine pancreas led to genomic instability, accumulation of DNA damage, and an inflammatory response that evolved to pancreatitis with full penetrance. Concomitant expression of oncogenic KrasG12D led to malignant transformation and development of invasive and metastatic pancreatic cancer. At the molecular level, BAP1 maintains the integrity of the exocrine pancreas by regulating genomic stability and its loss confers sensitivity to radio- and platinum-based therapies.
Project description:Pancreatic cancer is characterized by a high frequency of cachexia, pain and neural invasion (N-inv). Neural damage is occurred by N-inv and modulates pain and muscle atrophy via the activation of astrocyte in the connected spine. The activated astrocyte by N-inv, thus, may affect cachexia in pancreatic cancer. Clinical studies in patients and autopsy cases with pancreatic cancer have revealed that N-inv is related to cachexia and astrocytic activation. We established a novel murine model of cancer cachexia using N-inv of human pancreatic cancer cells. Mice with N-inv showed a loss of body weight, skeletal muscle, and fat mass without appetite loss, which are compatible with an animal model of cancer cachexia. Activation of astrocytes in the spinal cord connected with N-inv was observed in our model. Experimental cachexia was suppressed by disrupting neural routes or inhibiting the activation of astrocytes. These data provide the first evidence that N-inv induces cachexia via astrocytic activation of neural route in pancreatic cancer. We produced neural invasion (N-inv) model using intraneural injection of Capan-1 cells to left sciatic nerve of male SCID mouse. For controls, subcutaneous model (SC) and PBS model were produced. Microarray analysis was performed using the first lumbar cord (L1) from PBS, SC, and N-inv mice at 6 w (n = 2 each).
Project description:Cachexia is a wasting syndrome characterized by pronounced skeletal muscle loss. In cancer, cachexia associates with increased morbidity and mortality and decreased treatment tolerance. Although advances have been made in understanding the mechanisms of cachexia, translating these advances to the clinic has been challenging. One reason for this shortcoming may be the current animal models that fail to fully recapitulate the etiology of human cancer-induced tissue wasting. Because pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) presents with a high incidence of cachexia, we engineered a mouse model of PDA, that we named KPP. KPP mice, similar to PDA patients, progressively lose skeletal and adipose mass as a consequence of their tumors. In addition, KPP muscles exhibit a similar gene ontology to cachectic patients. We envision the KPP model will be a useful resource for advancing our mechanistic understanding and ability to treat cancer cachexia.
Project description:Cachexia is a wasting syndrome characterized by pronounced skeletal muscle loss. In cancer, cachexia associates with increased morbidity and mortality and decreased treatment tolerance. Although advances have been made in understanding the mechanisms of cachexia, translating these advances to the clinic has been challenging. One reason for this shortcoming may be the current animal models that fail to fully recapitulate the etiology of human cancer-induced tissue wasting. Because pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) presents with a high incidence of cachexia, we engineered a mouse model of PDA, that we named KPP. KPP mice, similar to PDA patients, progressively lose skeletal and adipose mass as a consequence of their tumors. In addition, KPP muscles exhibit a similar gene ontology to cachectic patients. We envision the KPP model will be a useful resource for advancing our mechanistic understanding and ability to treat cancer cachexia.
Project description:More than 85% of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) suffer from cachexia, a debilitating syndrome characterized by loss of muscle and fat. To model PDAC cachexia in mice, 12-week-old C57BL/6J male mice were implanted with the cachexia inducing pancreatic cell line, KPC32908, into the pancreas. Controls underwent a sham surgery. Mice were euthanized under isoflurane anesthesia when the tumor-bearing mice exhibited cachexia, including ~18% loss of quadriceps mass versus sham controls. Quadriceps muscle was flash frozen at euthanasia. 1mg quadriceps protein lysate per sample was used for kinome profiling.
Project description:Cancer cachexia is a prevalent and often fatal wasting condition that cannot be fully reversed with nutritional interventions. Muscle atrophy is a central component of the syndrome, but the mechanisms whereby cancer leads to skeletal muscle atrophy are not well understood. We performed single nucleus multi-omics on skeletal muscles from a mouse model of cancer cachexia and profiled the molecular changes in cachexic muscle. Our results revealed the activation of a denervation-induced gene program that upregulates the transcription factor myogenin. Further studies showed that a myogenin-myostatin pathway promotes muscle atrophy in response to cancer cachexia. shRNA inhibition of myogenin or inhibition of myostatin through overexpression of its endogenous inhibitor follistatin prevented cancer cachexia-induced muscle atrophy in mice. Our findings uncover a molecular basis of cancer cachexia-induced muscle atrophy and highlight potential therapeutic targets for this disorder.