During the initiation stage of pancreatic adenocarcinoma induced by oncogenic Kras, pancreatic cells are exposed to both a protumoral effect and an opposing tumor suppressive process known as oncogene-induced senescence. Pancreatitis disrupts this balance in favor of the transforming effect of oncogenes by lowering the tumor suppressive threshold of oncogene-induced senescence through expression of the stress protein Nupr1.
Keywords: Kras; Nupr1; PanIN; pancreatic cancer; senescence.