Radiation therapy is a staple treatment for pancreatic cancer. However, owing to the intrinsic radioresistance of pancreatic cancer cells, radiation therapy often fails to increase survival of pancreatic cancer patients. Radiation impedes cancer cells by inducing DNA damage, which can activate cell cycle checkpoints. Normal cells possess both a G1 and G2 checkpoint. However, cancer cells are often defective in G1 checkpoint due to mutations/alterations in key regulators of this checkpoint. Accordingly, our results show that normal pancreatic ductal cells respond to ionizing radiation (IR) with activation of both checkpoints whereas pancreatic cancer cells respond to IR with G2/M arrest only. Overexpression/hyperactivation of Rac1 GTPase is detected in the majority of pancreatic cancers. Rac1 plays important roles in survival and Ras-mediated transformation. Here, we show that Rac1 also plays a critical role in the response of pancreatic cancer cells to IR. Inhibition of Rac1 using specific inhibitor and dominant negative Rac1 mutant not only abrogates IR-induced G2 checkpoint activation, but also increases radiosensitivity of pancreatic cancer cells through induction of apoptosis. These results implicate Rac1 signaling in the survival of pancreatic cancer cells following IR, raising the possibility that this pathway contributes to the intrinsic radioresistance of pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic Cancer (PC) is a devastating lethal disease. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new intervention strategies. The mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) is a conserved kinase and master regulator of metabolism and cell growth. mTOR is dysregulated in chronic diseases including diabetes and pancreatic cancer. Recent reports indicate that 50% of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients are diabetic at the time of diagnosis. Furthermore, the anti-diabetic drug, metformin, which indirectly inhibits mTOR, has emerged as a potential therapeutic target for PC. The objective of this study is to determine the targeted-metabolomics profile in PDAC cell line (HPAF-II) with mTOR inhibition and the interaction between mTOR ATP-competitive inhibitor (Torin 2) and metformin as potential combined therapy in PC. HPAF-II cell lines were cultured in the presence of either Torin 2, metformin, both, or control vehicle. We utilized targeted LC/MS/MS to characterize the alterations in glycolytic and tricarboxylic acid cycle metabolomics, and employed Western Blot analysis for cell signaling activation by phosphorylation. Comparisons between groups were analyzed using one-way Analysis of Variance followed by secondary post-hoc analysis. After 1 h incubation with metformin, AMP concentration was significantly increased compared to other groups (p<0.03). After 24 h, Torin-2 significantly decreased glycolysis intermediates (fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (FBP), and 2-phosphoglycerate/3-phosphoglycerate), TCA intermediate metabolites (citrate/isocitrate, and malate), as well as Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD+) and Flavin Adenine Dinucleotide (FAD), and ATP levels. When HPAF-II cells were incubated with both Torin-2 and metformin, there was a significant reduction in NAD+ and FAD, suggesting decreased levels of the energy equivalents that are available to the electron transport chain. Targeted metabolomics data indicate that mTOR complexes inhibition by Torin 2 reduced glycolytic intermediates and TCA metabolites in HPAF- II and may synergize with metformin to decrease the electron acceptors NAD+ and FAD which may lead to reduced energy production.

Imetelstat (GRN163L) is a potent and selective inhibitor of telomerase. We have previously reported that GRN163L could shorten telomeres and limit the lifespan of CD18/HPAF and CAPAN1 pancreatic cancer cells. Here, we examined the effects of GRN163L on two other pancreatic cancer cell lines: AsPC1 and L3.6pl. In both lines, chronic exposure to GRN163L led to an initial shortening of telomeres followed by a stabilization of extremely short telomeres. In AsPC1 cells, telomere attrition eventually led to the induction of crisis and the loss of the treated population. In L3.6pl cells, crisis was transient and followed by the emergence of GRN163L-resistant cells, which could grow at increasing concentrations of GRN163L. The Shelterin complex is a telomere-associated complex that limits the access of telomerase to telomeres. The telomerase inhibitory function of this complex can be enhanced by drugs that block the poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation of its TRF1 and/or TRF2 subunits. Combined treatment of the GRN163L-resistant L3.6pl cells with GRN163L and 3-aminobenzamide (3AB), a general inhibitor of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases, led to additional telomere shortening and limited the lifespan of the resistant cells. Results from this work suggest that inhibitors of telomerase and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases can cooperate to limit the lifespan of pancreatic cancer cells.

Background The Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1 (mTORC1) is a nutrient-sensing pathway and a key regulator of amino acid and glucose metabolism. Dysregulation of the mTOR pathways is implicated in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome, obesity, type 2 diabetes and pancreatic cancer. Objective We investigated the impact of inhibition of mTORC1/mTORC2, and synergism with metformin on pancreatic tumor growth and metabolomics. Methods Cell lines derived from pancreatic tumors of the KPC (KrasG12D; p53R172H; Pdx1-Cre) transgenic mice model were surgically implanted into the pancreas of C57BL/6 albino mice (n = 10/group). Two weeks later, the mice were injected intraperitoneally (IP) with daily doses of 1) Torin 2 (mTORC1/mTORC2 inhibitor) at a high concentration (TH); 2) Torin 2 at a low concentration (TL), 3) metformin at a low concentration (ML); 4) a combination of Torin 2 and metformin at low concentrations (TLML); or 5) DMSO vehicle (control) for 12 days. Tissues and blood samples were collected for targeted xenometabolomics analysis, drug concentration, and cell signaling. Results Metabolomic analysis of the control and treated plasma samples showed differential metabolite profiles. Phenylalanine was significantly elevated in the TLML group compared with the control (+426%, p = 0.0004), while uracil was significantly lower (-38%, p = 0.009), the combination treatment reduced tumor growth in the orthotopic mouse model. TLML significantly decreased pancreatic tumor volume (498 ± 104 mm3; 37%, p &lt; 0.0004) compared with control (1326 ± 134 mm3; 100%), ML (853 ± 67 mm3; 64%), TL (745 ± 167 mm3; 54%) and TH (665 ± 182 mm3; 50%) (ANOVA and post hoc tests). TLML significantly decreased (0.66 ± 0.08 gm; 52%) tumor weights compared with the control (1.28± 0.19 gm; 100%) [p &lt; 0.002]. Conclusions The combination of mTOR dual inhibition by Torin 2 and metformin is associated with an altered metabolomic profile and a significant reduction in pancreatic tumor burden compared to single-agent therapy, and is better tolerated. We investigated a nutrient-sensing pathway, mTORC1/mTORC2, inhibition, and synergism with metformin on pancreatic tumor metabolism. Combined treatment showed a differential metabolomics profile and a reduction in pancreatic tumor size and weight.

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. with most patients diagnosed at advanced stages followed by short survival. Therefore, biomarkers for early detection are urgently needed. Mucin 4 ( MUC4 ) is a mucin protein encoded by the MUC4 gene and identified in the majority of pancreatic cancers. With increasing clinical identification and diagnosis of pancreatic cysts globally and transformation of some cysts into pancreatic cancer, it is important to evaluate if MUC4 is expressed in pancreatic cysts. Immunohistochemistry assays utilizing heat-induced epitope retrieval (HIER) were performed to examine MUC4 protein expression in 44 paraffin-embedded tissues of pancreatic cancers and 20 pancreatic cysts. All patients were diagnosed and operated upon at the Mansoura University Gastrointestinal Surgery Center in Egypt. Clinical, demographic, and survival information were abstracted from the patients’ medical records. Logistic regression was performed to predict expression of MUC4 protein in cancer and cysts, by type of cysts. Pancreatic cyst patients were significantly younger than pancreatic cancer patients (Mean age of 28.7 ± 5.25 vs. 54.84 ± 10.60 years) (p=0.0001). Expression of MUC4 was not different between cancers and pancreatic cysts (p=0.16). However, type of pancreatic cysts was predictive of MUC4 expression. Mucinous cystic neoplasms and serous cystadenoma cysts showed significantly higher MUC4 expression than non-specified and pseudocysts (80%, 75%, 25%, and 0% expression for the 4 types of cysts, respectively) (p=0.022). MUC4 expression may be associated with certain types of cysts. Follow-up of pancreatic cyst patients who show MUC4 expression might reveal clues to early detection of pancreatic cancer.