Biology subjects

Finan, J. M.

Publications and source records attributed to Finan, J. M..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Pancreatic cancer-intrinsic HuR regulates the pro-tumorigenic properties of extracellular vesicles

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) tumors contain chaotic vasculature that limits immune surveillance and promotes early events in the metastatic cascade. However, current antiangiogenic therapies have failed in PDAC, and thus, it remains important to uncover mechanisms by which cancer cells signal to endothelial cells to increase angiogenesis. Our lab has shown that the tumor-intrinsic RNA-binding protein HuR (ELAVL1) plays an important role re-shaping the tumor microenvironment (TME) by regulating the stability and translation of cytokine encoding transcripts. Herein, we demonstrate that PDAC-intrinsic HuR influences endothelial cell function in the TME via extracellular vesicle (EV) signaling, an underexplored signaling axis in tumor progression. We found that HuR knockout (KO) tumors have impaired growth in an immunocompetent mouse model, and that administering purified wildtype (WT) EVs can increase tumor growth. Further, we observed that PDAC EVs contain HuR-dependent mRNA and protein cargoes relating to endothelial cell function and angiogenesis. Treatment of endothelial cells with HuR WT EVs strongly increased the expression of genes involved in barrier function and endothelial cell development, and directly increased their migratory and tube forming functions. In an immunocompetent orthotopic mouse model of PDAC, we showed that HuR increases endothelial cell presence and sprouting, while decreasing ICAM-1 expression. Importantly, we found utilizing a genetic EV reporter, that decreased ICAM-1 within WT tumors occurs in endothelial cells that have imported PDAC EVs, suggesting that this signaling axis is directly modulating endothelial cell behavior in vivo. Collectively, our data reveal a new role of HuR in EV signaling to endothelial cells, promoting angiogenesis while restricting endothelial cell leukocyte trafficking behavior.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2025

mRNA stability factor HuR promotes immune evasion in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

The tumor microenvironment (TME) of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterized by a limited infiltration of tumor-specific T cells and anti-tumor T cell activity. Extracellular factors in the PDAC TME have been widely reported to mediate immune suppression, but the contribution from tumor-intrinsic factors is not well understood. The RNA-binding protein, HuR (ELAVL1), is enriched in PDAC and negatively correlates with T cell infiltration. In an immunocompetent Kras-p53-Cre (KPC) orthotopic model of PDAC, we found that genetic disruption of HuR impaired tumor growth due to a novel role of HuR inducing T-cell suppression. Importantly, we found that HuR depletion in tumors enhanced both T cell number and activation states and diminished myeloid phenotypes by comprehensive spatial profiling of the PDAC TME. Mechanistically, HuR mediated the stabilization of mTOR pathway transcripts, and inhibition of mTOR activity rescued the impaired function of local T cells. Translating these findings, we demonstrated that HuR depletion sensitized PDAC tumors to immune checkpoint blockade, while isogenic, wildtype tumors are resistant. For the first time, we show that HuR facilitates tumor immune suppression in PDAC by inhibiting T cell infiltration and function and implicate targeting HuR as a potential therapeutic strategy in combination with immunotherapy. SIGNIFICANCEThis study identified a novel mechanism that HuR supports pancreatic tumor growth by restricting T cell infiltration, promoting immune evasion. Our work supports targeting strategies against HuR in PDAC with the goal of enhancing PDAC sensitivity to immune-based cancer therapies, such as checkpoint blockade and T cell transfer.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Mesenchymal Lineage Heterogeneity Underlies Non-Redundant Functions of Pancreatic Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts

Cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) heterogeneity is increasingly appreciated, but the origins and functions of distinct CAF subtypes remain poorly understood. The abundant and transcriptionally diverse CAF population in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is thought to arise from a common cell of origin, pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs), with diversification resulting from cytokine and growth factor gradients within the tumor microenvironment. Here we analyzed the differentiation and function of PSCs during tumor progression in vivo. Contrary to expectations, we found that PSCs give rise to a numerically minor subset of PDAC CAFs. Targeted ablation of PSC-derived CAFs within their host tissue revealed non-redundant functions for this defined CAF population in shaping the PDAC microenvironment, including production of specific components of the extracellular matrix. Together, these findings link stromal evolution from distinct cells of origin to transcriptional heterogeneity among PDAC CAFs, and demonstrate unique functions for CAFs of a defined cellular origin. Statement of significanceBy tracking and ablating a specific CAF population, we find that a numerically minor CAF subtype from a defined cell of origin plays unique roles in establishing the pancreatic tumor microenvironment. Together with prior studies, this work suggests that mesenchymal lineage heterogeneity as well as signaling gradients diversify PDAC CAFs.

cancer biology↗