ATDC is required for the initiation of KRAS-induced pancreatic tumorigenesis

Genes Dev. 2019 Jun 1;33(11-12):641-655. doi: 10.1101/gad.323303.118. Epub 2019 May 2.

Abstract

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDA) is an aggressive disease driven by oncogenic KRAS and characterized by late diagnosis and therapeutic resistance. Here we show that deletion of the ataxia-telangiectasia group D-complementing (Atdc) gene, whose human homolog is up-regulated in the majority of pancreatic adenocarcinoma, completely prevents PDA development in the context of oncogenic KRAS. ATDC is required for KRAS-driven acinar-ductal metaplasia (ADM) and its progression to pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN). As a result, mice lacking ATDC are protected from developing PDA. Mechanistically, we show ATDC promotes ADM progression to PanIN through activation of β-catenin signaling and subsequent SOX9 up-regulation. These results provide new insight into PDA initiation and reveal ATDC as a potential target for preventing early tumor-initiating events.

Keywords: SOX9; ATDC; KRAS; PanIN lesion; TRIM29; acinar-to-ductal metaplasia; pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma; β-catenin.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acinar Cells / metabolism
  • Acinar Cells / pathology
  • Animals
  • Carcinogenesis*
  • Carcinoma in Situ / pathology
  • Carcinoma in Situ / physiopathology
  • Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal / pathology
  • Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal / physiopathology*
  • Cell Transdifferentiation
  • Cells, Cultured
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism
  • Down-Regulation
  • Gene Knockdown Techniques
  • Humans
  • Metaplasia
  • Mice
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Pancreatic Ducts / metabolism
  • Pancreatic Ducts / pathology
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / pathology
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / physiopathology*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras) / genetics
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras) / metabolism*
  • SOX9 Transcription Factor / genetics
  • SOX9 Transcription Factor / metabolism
  • Signal Transduction
  • Transcription Factors / genetics
  • Transcription Factors / metabolism
  • Transcription Factors / physiology*
  • beta Catenin / metabolism

Substances

  • CTNNB1 protein, human
  • CTNNB1 protein, mouse
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • SOX9 Transcription Factor
  • SOX9 protein, human
  • Sox9 protein, mouse
  • TRIM29 protein, human
  • TRIM29 protein, mouse
  • Transcription Factors
  • beta Catenin
  • Hras protein, mouse
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras)