Vera, Renzo E.

For over a century, scientists reported the disruption of normal nuclear shape and size in cancer. These changes have long been used as tools for diagnosis and staging of malignancies. However, to date, the mechanisms underlying these aberrant nuclear phenotypes and their biological significance remain poorly understood. Using a model of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the major histological subtypes of pancreatic cancer, we found that oncogenic mutant KRAS reduces nuclear size. Transcriptomic and protein expression analysis of mutant KRAS–expressing PDAC cells revealed differential levels of several nuclear envelope–associated genes. Further analysis demonstrated the nuclear lamina protein, Emerin (EMD), acted downstream of KRAS to mediate nuclear size reduction in PDAC. Analysis of human PDAC samples showed that increased EMD expression associates with reduced nuclear size. Finally, in vivo genetic depletion of EMD in a mutant KRAS–driven PDAC model resulted in increased nuclear size and a reduced incidence of poorly differentiated PDAC. Thus, our data provide evidence of a potentially novel mechanism underlying nuclear size regulation and its effect in PDAC carcinogenesis.

4155 Background: The tumor microenvironment (TME) that surrounds pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a multi-faceted and dynamic ecosystem in which stromal fibroblasts communicate with cancer cells to mediate tumor growth, metastasis, and chemotherapy resistance. It is well recognized that both cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and its non-cellular, fibrotic components within the TME can foster a protumorigenic environment for PDAC. However, we still lack a comprehensive understanding of the precise mechanisms in which this dense, fibrotic matrix can help drive malignant behaviors. Here, we reveal a novel mechanism in which the zinc-finger transcription factor GLI2 regulates type 1 collagen expression within CAFs and how the soluble variant of this collagen promotes irinotecan chemoresistance. Methods: We leveraged transcriptomic data from The Cancer Genome Atlas, International Cancer Genome Consortium, and Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium to evaluate GLI2 expression and stromal content of human PDAC tumors through bulk RNA-sequencing deconvolution. Using single-nucleus RNA sequencing of human PDAC tumors, we validated the association of GLI2 expression and stromal matrix constituents in CAFs. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays in human CAFs confirmed GLI2 binding at the COL1A1 promoter. Through RNAi-based inactivation of GLI2, we determined how loss of GLI2 impacts regulation of type 1 collagen. Additionally, we conducted MTT assays to assess tumor viability in response to irinotecan treatment. Results: Transcriptomic analysis revealed that GLI2 is highly enriched in CAFs and strongly correlated with stromal fibrosis compared to other non-tumor cell constituents within the TME. We have shown that GLI2 directly binds to the promoter of COL1A1, a key component of type 1 collagen, in CAFs and regulates its transcription in a manner dependent on TGFβ1 signaling. Interestingly, PDAC tumors exposed to type 1 collagen show increased expression of pro-tumorigenic pathways involved in inflammation, EGR signaling, cytokine-receptor interactions, and irinotecan resistance. We further validate that human PDAC cells pre-treated with collagen can confer chemoresistance to irinotecan with viability assays. Conclusions: Taken together, our study demonstrates a novel mechanism in which GLI2 regulates the secretion of collagen within CAFs, which in turn can enable PDAC to acquire resistance to standard-of-care treatments. These findings highlight not only the oncogenic functions for CAFs and their fibrotic secretome, but also open new avenues in which therapeutic targeting of the TME may provide clinical benefit for PDAC patients.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most aggressive cancers, primarily due to its complex tumor microenvironment (TME), which drives both disease progression and therapy resistance. Understanding the molecular mechanisms governing TME dynamics is essential for developing new treatment strategies for this devastating disease. In this study, we uncover an oncogenic role for Galectin-1 (Gal1), a glycan-binding protein abundantly expressed by activated pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs), a key component of the PDAC TME that orchestrates tumor progression. Our findings reveal that Gal1 expression is elevated in the nucleus of human PSCs in both tissue samples and cultured cell lines. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing analysis (ChIP-seq), we identify Gal1 occupancy at the promoters of several cancer-associated genes, including KRAS , a pivotal oncogene involved in PDAC pathogenesis. We demonstrate that Gal1 binds to the KRAS promoter, sustaining KRAS expression in PSCs, which, in turn, maintains PSC activation and promotes the secretion of protumorigenic cytokines. Mechanistically, Gal1 is required to preserve histone H3 lysine 4 monomethylation levels and to recruit the histone methyltransferase MLL1 to target promoters. Collectively, our findings define a nuclear function of Gal1 in modulating the transcriptional landscape of cancer-associated genes in PSCs within the PDAC TME, mediated through an epigenetic mechanism. These insights enhance our understanding of PDAC pathology and open potential avenues for therapeutic interventions targeting intracellular Gal1.

Abstract Aberrant activation of GLI transcription factors has been implicated in the pathogenesis of different tumor types including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. However, the mechanistic link with established drivers of this disease remains in part elusive. In this study, using a new genetically engineered mouse model overexpressing constitutively active mouse form of GLI2 and a combination of genome-wide assays, we provide evidence of a novel mechanism underlying the interplay between KRAS, a major driver of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma development, and GLI2 to control oncogenic gene expression. These mice, also expressing KrasG12D, show significantly reduced median survival rate and accelerated tumorigenesis compared with the KrasG12D only expressing mice. Analysis of the mechanism using RNA sequencing demonstrate higher levels of GLI2 targets, particularly tumor growth–promoting genes, including Ccnd1, N-Myc, and Bcl2, in KrasG12D mutant cells. Furthermore, chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing studies showed that in these cells KrasG12D increases the levels of trimethylation of lysine 4 of the histone 3 (H3K4me3) at the promoter of GLI2 targets without affecting significantly the levels of other major active chromatin marks. Importantly, Gli2 knockdown reduces H3K4me3 enrichment and gene expression induced by mutant Kras. In summary, we demonstrate that Gli2 plays a significant role in pancreatic carcinogenesis by acting as a downstream effector of KrasG12D to control gene expression.

Aberrant activation of the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway, through which the GLI family of transcription factors (TF) is stimulated, is commonly observed in cancer cells. One well-established mechanism of this increased activity is through the inactivation of Suppressor of Fused (SUFU), a negative regulator of the Hh pathway. Relief from negative regulation by SUFU facilitates GLI activity and induction of target gene expression. Here, we demonstrate a novel role for SUFU as a promoter of GLI activity in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). In non-ciliated PDAC cells unresponsive to Smoothened agonism, SUFU overexpression increases GLI transcriptional activity. Conversely, knockdown (KD) of SUFU reduces the activity of GLI in PDAC cells. Through array PCR analysis of GLI target genes, we identified B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL2) among the top candidates down-regulated by SUFU KD. We demonstrate that SUFU KD results in reduced PDAC cell viability, and overexpression of BCL2 partially rescues the effect of reduced cell viability by SUFU KD. Further analysis using as a model GLI1, a major TF activator of the GLI family in PDAC cells, shows the interaction of SUFU and GLI1 in the nucleus through previously characterized domains. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay shows the binding of both SUFU and GLI1 at the promoter of BCL2 in PDAC cells. Finally, we demonstrate that SUFU promotes GLI1 activity without affecting its protein stability. Through our findings, we propose a novel role of SUFU as a positive regulator of GLI1 in PDAC, adding a new mechanism of Hh/GLI signaling pathway regulation in cancer cells.

Carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play an important role in the progression of multiple malignancies. Secretion of cytokines and growth factors underlies the pro-tumoral effect of CAFs. Although this paracrine function has been extensively documented, the molecular mechanisms controlling the expression of these factors remain elusive. In this study, we provide evidence of a novel CAF transcriptional axis regulating the expression of SDF1, a major driver of cancer cell migration, involving the transcription factor GLI1 and histone acetyltransferase p300. We demonstrate that conditioned media from CAFs overexpressing GLI1 induce the migration of pancreatic cancer cells, and this effect is impaired by an SDF1-neutralizing antibody. Using a combination of co-immunoprecipitation, proximity ligation assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay, we further demonstrate that GLI1 and p300 physically interact in CAFs to co-occupy and drive SDF1 promoter activity. Mapping experiments highlight the requirement of GLI1 N-terminal for the interaction with p300. Importantly, knockdowns of both GLI1 and p300 reduce SDF1 expression. Further analysis shows that knockdown of GLI1 decreases SDF1 promoter activity, p300 recruitment, and levels of its associated histone marks (H4ac, H3K27ac, and H3K14ac). Finally, we show that the integrity of two GLI binding sites in the SDF1 promoter is required for p300 recruitment. Our findings define a new role for the p300–GLI1 complex in the regulation of SDF1, providing new mechanistic insight into the molecular events controlling pancreatic cancer cells migration.

Abstract Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) affects many older adults in the United States. This aggressive type of pancreatic cancer is resistant to many chemotherapies, resulting in a poor prognosis and a five-year survival rate of less than ten percent. To study PDAC progression and develop novel therapies, it is important to better understand the tumor microenvironment (TME) and the contributing cell populations and molecular mechanisms. Despite the well-described role of soluble Type I collagen in the regulation of pancreatic cancer TME, the molecular events modulating its expression/activity remain elusive. Here, we describe a novel mechanism controlling the levels of soluble collagen in cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs), a major producer of Type I collagen in pancreatic cancer TME. Specifically, we provide evidence that the transcription factor GLI2 is required for the expression of COL1A1, a key component of the Type I collagen fiber, stimulated by the transforming growth factor β (TGFβ). Our methodology included expression studies from patient samples, ChIP-qPCR, qPCR, RNA-seq analysis, gene set enrichment analysis, biological assays, and gene ontology analysis. Our results confirm that the TGFβ-GLI2 axis in CAFs is able to activate EGR1-proliferative signaling downstream of collagen signaling in pancreatic cancer cells contributing to our understanding of the molecular underpinnings of pancreatic cancer TME. Further studies that define the complete role of EGR1 in PDAC may lead to the development of novel therapies targeting EGR1 or CAFs to promote enhanced quality of life following a PDAC diagnosis.

The Hedgehog-regulated transcription factors GLI1 and GLI2 play overlapping roles in development and disease; however, the mechanisms underlying their interplay remain elusive. We report for the first time that GLI1 and GLI2 physically and functionally interact in cancer cells. GLI1 and GLI2 were shown to co-immunoprecipitate in PANC1 pancreatic cancer cells and RMS13 rhabdomyosarcoma cells. Mapping analysis demonstrated that the zinc finger domains of both proteins are required for their heteromerization. RNAi knockdown of either GLI1 or GLI2 inhibited expression of many well-characterized GLI target genes (BCL2, MYCN, PTCH2, IL7 and CCND1) in PANC1 cells, whereas PTCH1 expression was only inhibited by GLI1 depletion. qPCR screening of a large set of putative canonical and non-canonical Hedgehog/GLI targets identified further genes (e.g. E2F1, BMP1, CDK2) strongly down-regulated by GLI1 and/or GLI2 depletion in PANC1 cells, and demonstrated that ANO1, AQP1 and SOCS1 are up-regulated by knockdown of either GLI1 or GLI2. Chromatin immunoprecipitation showed that GLI1 and GLI2 occupied the same regions at the BCL2, MYCN and CCND1 promoters. Furthermore, depletion of GLI1 inhibited GLI2 occupancy at these promoters, suggesting that GLI1/GLI2 interaction is required for the recruitment of GLI2 to these sites. Together, these findings indicate that GLI1 and GLI2 co-ordinately regulate the transcription of some genes, and provide mechanistic insight into the roles of GLI proteins in carcinogenesis.