ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) microenvironment is primarily composed of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and immune cells. Gremlin1 (Grem1) is a profibrogenic factor that promotes tumorigenesis in several cancers. However, the role of Grem1 in the PDAC microenvironment is not adequately defined. METHODS: We correlated Grem1 levels with activated stroma and immune cells in human PDAC using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) RNA-sequencing data and characterized the expression of Grem1 transcripts and isoforms in pancreatic cell lines and PDAC tissues. We assessed the role of Grem1 in the microenvironment by in vitro studies. RESULTS: Grem1 expression is associated with an activated stroma and increased M1 and M2 macrophages. Only full length Grem1 variant 1 and isoform 1 were detectable in human pancreatic cells, and remarkably high levels of Grem1 were observed in pancreatic fibroblasts (P < 0.05). Immunohistochemistry detected Grem1 protein in PDAC tumor cells and stromal cells, which correlated with infiltrating macrophages in PDAC tumors. Grem1 knockdown in CAFs suppressed transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß-induced extracellular matrix proteins (P < 0.05). Grem1 recombinant protein treatment in vitro increased M1 and M2 macrophages (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Grem1 acts as a profibrogenic factor in the PDAC microenvironment via modulation of fibroblasts and macrophages. Grem1 may have the potential to be developed as a therapeutic target for PDAC.
ABSTRACT
The rapidly aging population is consuming more alcohol, leading to increased alcohol-associated acute pancreatitis (AAP) with high mortality. However, the mechanisms remain undefined, and currently there are no effective therapies available. This study aims to elucidate aging- and alcohol-associated spatial transcriptomic signature by establishing an aging AAP mouse model and applying Visium spatial transcriptomics for understanding of the mechanisms in the context of the pancreatic tissue. Upon alcohol diet feeding and caerulein treatment, aging mice (18 months) developed significantly more severe AAP with 5.0-fold increase of injury score and 2.4-fold increase of amylase compared to young mice (3 months). Via Visium spatial transcriptomics, eight distinct tissue clusters were revealed from aggregated transcriptomes of aging and young AAP mice: five acinar, two stromal, and one islet, which were then merged into three clusters: acinar, stromal, and islet for the comparative analysis. Compared to young AAP mice, > 1300 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and approximately 3000 differentially regulated pathways were identified in aging AAP mice. The top five DEGs upregulated in aging AAP mice include Mmp8, Ppbp, Serpina3m, Cxcl13, and Hamp with heterogeneous distributions among the clusters. Taken together, this study demonstrates spatial heterogeneity of inflammatory processes in aging AAP mice, offering novel insights into the mechanisms and potential drivers for AAP development. KEY MESSAGES: Mechanisms regarding high mortality of AAP in aging remain undefined. An aging AAP mouse model was developed recapturing clinical exhibition in humans. Spatial transcriptomics identified contrasted DEGs in aging vs. young AAP mice. Top five DEGs were Mmp8, Ppbp, Serpina3m, Cxcl13, and Hamp in aging vs. young AAP mice. Our findings shed insights for identification of molecular drivers in aging AAP.
ABSTRACT
The transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß superfamily has important physiologic roles and is dysregulated in many pathologic processes, including pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal cancer diagnoses, and current therapies are largely ineffective due to tumor resistance and late-stage diagnosis with poor prognosis. Recent efforts are focused on the potential of immunotherapies in improving therapeutic results for patients with pancreatic cancer, among which TGF-ß has been identified as a promising target. This review focuses on the role of TGF-ß in the diseased pancreas and pancreatic cancer. It also aims to summarize the current status of therapies targeting the TGF-ß superfamily and postulate potential future directions in targeting the TGF-ß signaling pathways.
ABSTRACT
Assessing the structure of living microbial cell membranes is a challenging analytical goal. The cell membrane is defined by its transverse structure, an approximately 5 nm-thick selectively permeable bilayer that serves many important cellular functions. Compositionally complex, dynamic, and organized in both the transverse and lateral dimensions, understanding the cell membrane structure-and the role that structure plays in cellular function, communication, and environmental sensing is an active scientific effort. Previously, we have devised a novel isotopic labeling approach for membrane lipids to enable direct in vivo structural studies of the cell membrane in the Gram-positive bacterium, Bacillus subtilis, using small-angle neutron scattering. This was accomplished through a genetic inhibition of fatty acid (FA) degradation (ΔfadN) and a chemical inhibition of FA biosynthesis using cerulenin, an irreversible inhibitor of type II fatty acid synthases. Here, we improve upon the previous system by introducing a dCas9/sgRNA-fabF complex that blocks transcription of the essential fabF gene when under xylose induction. This leads to greater sensitivity to cerulenin in the mutant strain (JEBS102) and more robust cell growth when supplementary FAs are introduced to the culture medium. A subtle change in FA uptake is noted when compared to the prior labeling strategy. This is seen in the gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) data as a higher ratio of n16:0 to a15:0, and manifests in an apparent increase in the membrane thickness determined via neutron scattering. This represents an improved method of isotopic labeling for the cell membrane of Bacillus subtilis; enabling improved investigations of cellular uptake and utilization of FAs, cell membrane structure and organization as a phenotypic response to metabolic and environmental changes.
