Phosphomimetic Dicer S1016E triggers a switch to glutamine metabolism in gemcitabine-resistant pancreatic cancer.

Objective: Dicer is an enzyme that processes microRNAs (miRNAs) precursors into mature miRNAs, which have been implicated in various aspects of cancer progressions, such as clinical aggressiveness, prognosis, and survival outcomes. We previously showed that high expression of Dicer is associated with gemcitabine (GEM) resistance in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC); thus, in this study, we aimed to focus on how Dicer is involved in GEM resistance in PDAC, including cancer prognosis, cell proliferation, and metabolic regulation.

Methods: We generated stable shRNA knockdown of Dicer in GEM-resistant PANC-1 (PANC-1 GR) cells and explored cell viability by MTT and clonogenicity assays.

Eicosapentaenoic Acid Inhibits Mutant Pancreatic Cancer Cell Growth by Suppressing Hepassocin Expression and STAT3 Phosphorylation.

Background: The oncogenic Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog () mutation was reported to be the signature genetic event in most cases of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Hepassocin (HPS/FGL1) is involved in regulating lipid metabolism and the progression of several cancer types; however, the underlying mechanism of HPS/FGL1 in the mutant PDAC cells undergoing eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) treatment remains unclear.

Methods: We measured HPS/FGL1 protein expressions in a human pancreatic ductal epithelial (HPNE) normal pancreas cell line, a -wild-type PDAC cell line (BxPC-3), and -mutant PDAC cell lines (PANC-1, MIA PaCa-2, and SUIT-2) by Western blot methods.

NF-κB-driven suppression of FOXO3a contributes to EGFR mutation-independent gefitinib resistance.

Therapy with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs, such as gefitinib or erlotinib) significantly prolongs survival time for patients with tumors harboring an activated mutation on EGFR; however, up to 40% of lung cancer patients exhibit acquired resistance to EGFR-TKIs with an unknown mechanism. FOXO3a, a transcription factor of the forkhead family, triggers apoptosis, but the mechanistic details involved in EGFR-TKI resistance and cancer stemness remain largely unclear. Here, we observed that a high level of FOXO3a was correlated with EGFR mutation-independent EGFR-TKI sensitivity, the suppression of cancer stemness, and better progression-free survival in lung cancer patients.