Dosage-Dependent Regulation of Pancreatic Cancer Growth and Angiogenesis by Hedgehog Signaling

Pancreatic cancer, a hypovascular and highly desmoplastic cancer, is characterized by tumor expression of Hedgehog (HH) ligands that signal to fibroblasts in the surrounding stroma that in turn promote tumor survival and growth. However, the mechanisms and consequences of stromal HH pathway activation are not well understood. Here, we show that the HH coreceptors GAS1, BOC, and CDON are expressed in cancer-associated fibroblasts. Deletion of two coreceptors (Gas1 and Boc) in fibroblasts reduces HH responsiveness. Strikingly, these fibroblasts promote greater tumor growth in vivo that correlates with increased tumor-associated vascularity. In contrast, deletion of all three coreceptors (Gas1, Boc, and Cdon) results in the near complete abrogation of HH signaling and a corresponding failure to promote tumorigenesis and angiogenesis. Collectively, these data identify a role for HH dosage in pancreatic cancer promotion and may explain the clinical failure of HH pathway blockade as a therapeutic approach in pancreatic cancer.

Abstract licence: CC BY-NC

• The critical roles of activated stellate cells-mediated paracrine signaling, metabolism and onco-immunology in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma · 2018

• Corrected

  Hedgehog signaling: modulation of cancer properies and tumor mircroenvironment · 2016

• Pharmacological targeting of the protein synthesis mTOR/4E‐BP1 pathway in cancer‐associated fibroblasts abrogates pancreatic tumour chemoresistance · 2015

A person counts once a day per paper. We keep no cookie and no address: a reader is a hash that changes every day. Any month under five reads shows no number.