Cancer cells exhibit metabolic dependencies that distinguish them from their normal counterparts1. Among these addictions is an increased utilization of the amino acid glutamine (Gln) to fuel anabolic processes2. Indeed, the spectrum of Gln-dependent tumors and the mechanisms whereby Gln supports cancer metabolism remain areas of active investigation. Here we report the identification of a non-canonical pathway of Gln utilization in human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells that is required for tumor growth. While most cells utilize glutamate dehydrogenase (GLUD1) to convert Gln-derived glutamate (Glu) into α-ketoglutarate in the mitochondria to fuel the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, PDAC relies on a distinct pathway to fuel the TCA cycle such that Gln-derived aspartate is transported into the cytoplasm where it can be converted into oxaloacetate (OAA) by aspartate transaminase (GOT1). Subsequently, this OAA is converted into malate and then pyruvate, ostensibly increasing the NADPH/NADP+ ratio which can potentially maintain the cellular redox state. Importantly, PDAC cells are strongly dependent on this series of reactions, as Gln deprivation or genetic inhibition of any enzyme in this pathway leads to an increase in reactive oxygen species and a reduction in reduced glutathione. Moreover, knockdown of any component enzyme in this series of reactions also results in a pronounced suppression of PDAC growth in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, we establish that the reprogramming of Gln metabolism is mediated by oncogenic Kras, the signature genetic alteration in PDAC, via the transcriptional upregulation and repression of key metabolic enzymes in this pathway. The essentiality of this pathway in PDAC and the fact that it is dispensable in normal cells may provide novel therapeutic approaches to treat these refractory tumors.

SUMMARY Tumor maintenance relies on continued activity of driver oncogenes, although their rate-limiting role is highly context dependent. Oncogenic Kras mutation is the signature event in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), serving a critical role in tumor initiation. Here, an inducible KrasG12D-driven PDAC mouse model establishes that advanced PDAC remains strictly dependent on KrasG12D expression. Transcriptome and metabolomic analyses indicate that KrasG12D serves a vital role in controlling tumor metabolism through stimulation of glucose uptake and channeling of glucose intermediates into the hexosamine biosynthesis and pentose phosphate pathways (PPP). These studies also reveal that oncogenic Kras promotes ribose biogenesis. Unlike canonical models, we demonstrate that KrasG12D drives glycolysis intermediates into the nonoxidative PPP, thereby decoupling ribose biogenesis from NADP/NADPH-mediated redox control. Together, this work provides in vivo mechanistic insights into how oncogenic Kras promotes metabolic reprogramming in native tumors and illuminates potential metabolic targets that can be exploited for therapeutic benefit in PDAC.

We previously reported that combining a phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor with a poly-ADP Rib polymerase (PARP)-inhibitor enhanced DNA damage and cell death in breast cancers that have genetic aberrations in BRCA1 and TP53. Here, we show that enhanced DNA damage induced by PI3K inhibitors in this mutational background is a consequence of impaired production of nucleotides needed for DNA synthesis and DNA repair. Inhibition of PI3K causes a reduction in all four nucleotide triphosphates, whereas inhibition of the protein kinase AKT is less effective than inhibition of PI3K in suppressing nucleotide synthesis and inducing DNA damage. Carbon flux studies reveal that PI3K inhibition disproportionately affects the nonoxidative pentose phosphate pathway that delivers Rib-5-phosphate required for base ribosylation. In vivo in a mouse model of BRCA1-linked triple-negative breast cancer (K14-Cre BRCA1), the PI3K inhibitor BKM120 led to a precipitous drop in DNA synthesis within 8 h of drug treatment, whereas DNA synthesis in normal tissues was less affected. In this mouse model, combined PI3K and PARP inhibition was superior to either agent alone to induce durable remissions of established tumors. T riple-negative breast cancers, including BRCA1-linked breast cancers, frequently show activation of the PI3K pathway as a result of overexpression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) (1, 2) or insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGFR) (3), and inhibition of the EGFR (1, 2, 4) and/or the PI3K/Nrf2 axis (5) prevents cancers arising from BRCA1 mutant mammary epithelial cells (MECs). In addition, activating mutations of PIK3CA, or loss of the inhibitory lipid phosphatases PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog) and INPP4B (inositol polyphosphate 4-phosphatase type II) (6, 7), suggest that the PI3K pathway is contributing to tumor growth and survival. Aside from their role in regulating the homeostasis of phospho-inositides, PTEN and INPP4B may have independent roles in DNA damage repair. A role for PTEN in the maintenance of genomic stability was identified (8); more recently, INPP4B was found to directly interact with BRCA1 and the serine/threonine protein kinase ATR, and its loss destabilizes these DNA damage repair complexes, effectively sensitizing INPP4B-deficient cells to poly-ADP Rib polymerase (PARP) inhibition (9).Despite the high incidence of predisposing lesions in the PI3K pathway, limited clinical activity has been observed with PI3K inhibitors as single-agent treatment in endocrine-resistant breast cancer, which may reflect bypass of PI3K-dependent mitogenic signaling by alternative signaling pathways such as the MAPK pathway. Therefore, concurrent inhibition of parallel and compensatory signaling networks to overcome resistance to PI3K inhibition is being investigated in clinical studies. This approach, however, carries the risk of overlapping toxicities of the targeted agents without sufficient efficacy because tumor cells may have greater plasticity for redundant signaling than normal tissues.Mul...