Roflumilast inhibits tumor growth and migration in STK11/LKB1 deficient pancreatic cancer

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Shuman Zhang - , Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (Author)
  • Duo Yun - , Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (Author)
  • Hao Yang - , Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (Author)
  • Markus Eckstein - , Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (Author)
  • Gihan Daw Elbait - , Khalifa University of Science and Technology (Author)
  • Yaxing Zhou - , Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (Author)
  • Yanxi Lu - , Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (Author)
  • Hai Yang - , Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (Author)
  • Jinping Zhang - , Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (Author)
  • Isabella Dörflein - , Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (Author)
  • Nathalie Britzen-Laurent - , Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (Author)
  • Susanne Pfeffer - , Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (Author)
  • Marc P. Stemmler - , Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (Author)
  • Andreas Dahl - , DRESDEN-concept Genome Center (CMCB Core Facility) (Author)
  • Debabrata Mukhopadhyay - , Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science (Author)
  • David Chang - , University of Glasgow, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (Author)
  • Hang He - , Fudan University (Author)
  • Siyuan Zeng - , Hunan Normal University (Author)
  • Bin Lan - , Hunan Normal University (Author)
  • Benjamin Frey - , Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (Author)
  • Chuanpit Hampel - , Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (Author)
  • Eva Lentsch - , Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (Author)
  • Paradesi Naidu Gollavilli - , University of Southern Denmark (Author)
  • Christian Büttner - , Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (Author)
  • Arif B. Ekici - , Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (Author)
  • Andrew Biankin - , University of Glasgow, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (Author)
  • Regine Schneider-Stock - , Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (Author)
  • Paolo Ceppi - , University of Southern Denmark (Author)
  • Robert Grützmann - , Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (Author)
  • Christian Pilarsky - , Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (Author)

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer is a malignant tumor of the digestive system. It is highly aggressive, easily metastasizes, and extremely difficult to treat. This study aimed to analyze the genes that might regulate pancreatic cancer migration to provide an essential basis for the prognostic assessment of pancreatic cancer and individualized treatment. A CRISPR knockout library directed against 915 murine genes was transfected into TB 32047 cell line to screen which gene loss promoted cell migration. Next-generation sequencing and PinAPL.py- analysis was performed to identify candidate genes. We then assessed the effect of serine/threonine kinase 11 (STK11) knockout on pancreatic cancer by wound-healing assay, chick agnosia (CAM) assay, and orthotopic mouse pancreatic cancer model. We performed RNA sequence and Western blotting for mechanistic studies to identify and verify the pathways. After accelerated Transwell migration screening, STK11 was identified as one of the top candidate genes. Further experiments showed that targeted knockout of STK11 promoted the cell migration and increased liver metastasis in mice. Mechanistic analyses revealed that STK11 knockout influences blood vessel morphogenesis and is closely associated with the enhanced expression of phosphodiesterases (PDEs), especially PDE4D, PDE4B, and PDE10A. PDE4 inhibitor Roflumilast inhibited STK11-KO cell migration and tumor size, further demonstrating that PDEs are essential for STK11-deficient cell migration. Our findings support the adoption of therapeutic strategies, including Roflumilast, for patients with STK11-mutated pancreatic cancer in order to improve treatment efficacy and ultimately prolong survival.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number124
JournalCell death discovery
Volume10
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2024
Peer-reviewedYes