Kunstman, J. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2025

SPINK1-COL18A1 Crosstalk Shapes Epigenome and Drives Cancer Stemness in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a devastating cancer with an increasing incidence and extremely dismal prognosis. Discovery and mechanistic understanding of the genetic and epigenetic drivers of PDAC is therefore of critical importance. Here, we uncover serine protease inhibitor Kazal type 1 (SPINK1) as a putative determinant of clinical progression and demonstrate that it can have a non-canonical function as a regulator of epigenomic states of PDAC cells and associated extensive changes in gene expression. We show that SPINK1 expression, which varies in PDAC, is associated with key aggressive phenotypic cancer states and is correlated with the expression of stemness markers both in vitro and in patient samples. Mechanistically, our results strongly suggest that SPINK1 acts through a new signaling axis, by interacting with COL18A1 in the Golgi apparatus, promoting endostatin release and eventually inducing extensive histone H3 modifications. These results reveal a new function of SPINK1 in PDAC and suggest a potential therapeutic route to combat PDAC aggressiveness by targeting the SPINK1-COL18A1-endostatin signaling.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Renalase is a novel tissue and serological biomarker in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Dysregulated expression of the secretory protein renalase (RNLS) can promote pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) growth in animal models. We characterized RNLS expression in premalignant and malignant PDAC tissue and investigated whether plasma RNLS levels corresponded to clinical PDAC characteristics. RNLS immunohistochemistry was used to determine the presence and distribution of RNLS in normal pancreas, chronic pancreatitis, PDAC precursor lesions, and PDAC tissues. Associations between pretreatment plasma RNLS and PDAC clinical status were assessed in patients with varied clinical stages of PDAC and included tumor characteristics, surgical resection in locally advanced/borderline resectable PDAC, and overall survival. Data were retrospectively obtained and correlated using non-parametric analysis. Mild to no RNLS was detected by histochemistry in the normal pancreas in the absence of abdominal trauma. In chronic pancreatitis, RNLS immunoreactivity localized to peri-acinar spindle-shaped cells in some samples. It was also widely present in PDAC precursor lesions and PDAC tissue. Among 240 patients with PDAC, elevated plasma RNLS levels were associated with worse tumor characteristics, including greater angiolymphatic invasion (80.0% vs. 58.1%, p = 0.012) and greater node positive disease (76.5% vs. 56.5%, p = 0.024). Overall survival was worse in patients with high plasma RNLS levels with median follow-up of 27.70 months vs. 65.03 months (p < 0.001). RNLS levels also predicted whether patients with locally advanced/borderline resectable (LA/BR) PDAC underwent resection (AUC 0.674; 95%CI 0.42-0.82, p = 0.04). Overall tissue RNLS was increased in both premalignant and malignant PDAC tissues compared to normal pancreas. Elevated plasma RNLS levels were associated with advanced tumor characteristics, decreased overall survival, and reduced resectability in patients with LA/BR PDAC. These studies show that RNLS levels are increased in premalignant pancreatic tissues and that its levels in plasma correspond to the clinical behavior of PDAC.

cancer biology↗