Biology subjects

Parejo-Alonso, B.

Publications and source records attributed to Parejo-Alonso, B..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Diet-induced macrophage-driven inflammation fuels pancreatic plasticity and aggressiveness

High-fat diet (HFD) and obesity are increasingly recognized as risk factors of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), yet the mechanisms by which dietary fat contribute to oncogenic transformation remain elusive. Using an inducible acinar-specific KrasG12V/Trp53-loss genetically-engineered mouse model of PDAC, we established early-and late-onset protocols to assess age-dependent susceptibility to HFD. Specifically, HFD accelerated tumorigenesis with poorer prognosis in early-onset mice and, strikingly, enabled full PDAC development in late-onset adult mice otherwise resistant to oncogenic transformation. Tumors arising under HFD activated a distinct transcriptional and epigenetic state enriched in pathways or genes related to stemness, plasticity, and metastatic competence, which was maintained even in tumor-derived cell lines. Mechanistically, fatty acid-educated macrophages secreted the cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide (CAMP), activating P2X purinoceptor 7 (P2RX7) signaling in tumor cells to drive a highly plastic, immune-evasive phenotype reinforced by the expression of the peptidoglycan recognition protein 1 (PGLYRP1), further shielding tumor cells from macrophage phagocytosis. Functionally, HFD-induced tumors displayed enhanced metastatic potential independent of host context. Analysis of 164 human PDAC samples revealed that elevated body-mass index (BMI) was associated to a conserved CAMP-P2RX7-CXCR4 signature, maintained despite weight loss during disease progression. Together, these findings uncover a diet-imprinted macrophage-tumor cell circuit that promotes transformation and accelerates PDAC progression, positioning it as a therapeutic vulnerability in obesity-associated pancreatic cancer. Statement of significanceHigh-fat diet induces pancreatic tumorigenesis in adult tissue, driving metastatic competence and a plastic state, and ultimately engages a macrophage-derived CAMP-P2RX7 circuit that reinforces immune evasion and accelerates PDAC progression.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2022

ALK signaling drives tumorigenicity and chemoresistance of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cells

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an extremely aggressive disease characterized by its metastatic potential and chemoresistance. These traits are partially attributable to the highly tumorigenic pancreatic cancer stem cells (PaCSCs). Interestingly, these cells show unique features in order to sustain their identity and functionality, some of them amenable for therapeutic intervention. Screening of phospho-receptor tyrosine kinases revealed that PaCSCs harbored increased activation of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK). We subsequently demonstrated that oncogenic ALK signaling drives tumorigenicity in PDAC patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) by promoting stemness through ligand-dependent activation. Indeed, the ALK ligands midkine (MDK) or pleiotrophin (PTN) increased self-renewal, clonogenicity and CSC frequency in several in vitro local and metastatic PDX models. Conversely, treatment with the clinically-approved ALK inhibitors Crizotinib and Ensartinib decreased CSC content and functionality in vitro and in vivo, by inducing cell death. Strikingly, ALK inhibitors sensitized chemoresistant PaCSCs to Gemcitabine, as the most used chemotherapeutic agent for PDAC treatment. Consequently, ALK inhibition delayed tumor relapse after chemotherapy in vivo by effectively decreasing the content of PaCSCs. In summary, our results demonstrate that targeting the MDK/PTN-ALK axis with clinically-approved inhibitors impairs in vivo tumorigenicity and chemoresistance in PDAC suggesting a new treatment approach to improve the long-term survival of PDAC patients. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=114 SRC="FIGDIR/small/505637v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (26K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@21d661org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1817b5eorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1ca97aaorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1ab5443_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2021

PPAR-delta acts as a metabolic master checkpoint for metastasis in pancreatic cancer

SO_SCPLOWUMMARYC_SCPLOWIn pancreatic cancer, emerging evidence suggests that PPAR-{delta} overexpression is associated with tumor progression and metastasis, but a mechanistic link is still missing. Here we now show that PPAR-{delta} acts as the integrating upstream regulator for the metabolic rewiring, which is preceding the subsequent initiation of an invasive/metastatic program. Specifically, paracrine and metabolic cues regularly found in the metastasis-promoting tumor stroma consistently enhance, via induction of PPAR-{delta} activity, the glycolytic capacity and reserve of pancreatic cancer cells, respectively, accompanied by decreased mitochondrial oxygen consumption. Consequently, genetic or pharmacological inhibition of PPAR-{delta} results in reduced invasiveness and metastasis. Mechanistically, PPAR-{delta} acts by shifting the MYC/PGC1A balance towards MYC, enhancing metabolic plasticity. Targeting MYC similarly prevents the metabolic switch and subsequent initiation of invasiveness. Therefore, our data demonstrate that PPAR-{delta} is a key initiator for the metabolic reprogramming in pancreatic cancer, thereby acting as a checkpoint for the phenotypic change towards invasiveness. These findings provide compelling evidence for a novel treatment strategy to combat pancreatic cancer progression.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Inhibition of mitochondrial dynamics preferentially targets pancreatic cancer cells with enhanced tumorigenic and invasive potential

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the deadliest tumors, partly due to its intrinsic aggressiveness, metastatic potential, and chemoresistance of the contained cancer stem cells (CSCs). Pancreatic CSCs strongly rely on mitochondrial metabolism to maintain their stemness, therefore representing a putative target for their elimination. Since mitochondrial homeostasis depends on the tightly controlled balance between fusion and fission processes, namely mitochondrial dynamics, we aimed to study this mechanism in the context of stemness. In human PDAC tissues, the mitochondrial fission gene DNM1L (DRP1) was overexpressed and positively correlated with the stemness signature. Moreover, we observed that primary human CSCs display smaller mitochondria and a higher DRP1/MFN2 expression ratio, indicating activation of mitochondrial fission. Interestingly, treatment with the DRP1 inhibitor mDivi-1 induced dose-dependent apoptosis, especially in CD133+ CSCs, due to accumulation of dysfunctional mitochondria and subsequent energy crisis in this subpopulation. Mechanistically, mDivi-1 inhibited stemness-related features, such as self-renewal, tumorigenicity and invasiveness, and chemosensitized the cells to the cytotoxic effects of Gemcitabine. In summary, mitochondrial fission is an essential process for pancreatic CSCs and represents an attractive target for designing novel multimodal treatments that will more efficiently eliminate cells with high tumorigenic potential. Simple SummaryDue to their intrinsic aggressiveness, cancer stem cells (CSCs) represent an essential target for the design of effective treatments against pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest tumors. As pancreatic CSCs are particularly dependent on the activity of their mitochondria, we here focus on mitochondrial dynamics as a critical process in the homeostasis of these organelles. We found that pancreatic CSCs rely on mitochondrial fission, and its pharmacological inhibition by mDivi-1 resulted in the accumulation of dysfunctional mitochondria, provoking energy crisis and cell death in this subpopulation. Consequently, mDivi-1 blocked cellular functions related to cancer aggressiveness such as in vivo tumorigenicity, invasiveness and chemoresistance. Our data suggest that inhibition of mitochondrial fission represents a promising target for designing new multimodal therapies to fight pancreatic cancer.

cancer biology↗