Mucin 5AC Serves as the Nexus for β-Catenin/c-Myc Interplay to Promote Glutamine Dependency During Pancreatic Cancer Chemoresistance

Copyright © 2022 AGA Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved..

BACKGROUND & AIMS: A major clinical challenge for patients with pancreatic cancer (PC) is metabolic adaptation. Neoplastic cells harboring molecular perturbations suffice for their increased anabolic demand and nucleotide biosynthesis to acquire chemoresistance. The mucin 5AC expressed de novo in malignant pancreas promotes cancer cell stemness and is significantly associated with poor patient survival. Identification of MUC5AC-associated drivers of chemoresistance through metabolic alterations may facilitate the sculpting of a new combinatorial regimen.

METHODS: The contributions of MUC5AC to glutaminolysis and gemcitabine resistance were examined by The Cancer Genome Atlas data analysis, RNA sequencing, and immunohistochemistry analysis on pancreatic tissues of KrasG12D;Pdx1-Cre (KC) and KrasG12D;Pdx1-Cre;Muc5ac-/- mice. These were followed by metabolite flux assays as well as biochemical and xenograft studies on MUC5AC-depleted human and murine PC cells. Murine and human pancreatic 3-dimensional tumoroids were used to evaluate the efficacy of gemcitabine in combination with β-catenin and glutaminolysis inhibitors.

RESULTS: Transcriptional analysis showed that high MUC5AC-expressing human and autochthonous murine PC tumors exhibit higher resistance to gemcitabine because of enhanced glutamine use and nucleotide biosynthesis. Gemcitabine treatment led to MUC5AC overexpression, resulting in disruption of E-cadherin/β-catenin junctions and the nuclear translocation of β-catenin, which increased c-Myc expression, with a concomitant rise in glutamine uptake and glutamate release. MUC5AC depletion and glutamine deprivation sensitized human PC cells to gemcitabine, which was obviated by glutamine replenishment in MUC5AC-expressing cells. Coadministration of β-catenin and glutaminolysis inhibitors with gemcitabine abrogated the MUC5AC-mediated resistance in murine and human tumoroids.

CONCLUSIONS: The MUC5AC/β-catenin/c-Myc axis increases the uptake and use of glutamine in PC cells, and cotargeting this axis along with gemcitabine may improve therapeutic efficacy in PC.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2022

Erschienen:

2022

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:162

Enthalten in:

Gastroenterology - 162(2022), 1 vom: 01. Jan., Seite 253-268.e13

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Ganguly, Koelina [VerfasserIn]
Bhatia, Rakesh [VerfasserIn]
Rauth, Sanchita [VerfasserIn]
Kisling, Andrew [VerfasserIn]
Atri, Pranita [VerfasserIn]
Thompson, Christopher [VerfasserIn]
Vengoji, Raghupathy [VerfasserIn]
Ram Krishn, Shiv [VerfasserIn]
Shinde, Dhananjay [VerfasserIn]
Thomas, Vinai [VerfasserIn]
Kaur, Sukhwinder [VerfasserIn]
Mallya, Kavita [VerfasserIn]
Cox, Jesse L [VerfasserIn]
Kumar, Sushil [VerfasserIn]
Batra, Surinder K [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

β-Catenin
0RH81L854J
0W860991D6
Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic
Beta Catenin
C-Myc
CTNNB1 protein, human
CTNNB1 protein, mouse
Deoxycytidine
EC 3.5.1.2
Enzyme Inhibitors
GLS protein, human
GLS1 protein, mouse
Gemcitabine
Glutaminase
Glutamine
Journal Article
MUC5AC protein, human
MYC protein, human
Muc5ac protein, mouse
Mucin 5AC
Myc protein, mouse
Pancreatic Cancer
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Video-Audio Media

Anmerkungen:

Date Completed 18.01.2022

Date Revised 04.04.2024

published: Print-Electronic

Citation Status MEDLINE

doi:

10.1053/j.gastro.2021.09.017

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM330764985