Theranostics 2021; 11(8):3898-3915. doi:10.7150/thno.51712 This issue Cite

Research Paper

The short isoform of PRLR suppresses the pentose phosphate pathway and nucleotide synthesis through the NEK9-Hippo axis in pancreatic cancer

Huizhen Nie1*, Pei-Qi Huang1*, Shu-Heng Jiang1, Qin Yang1, Li-Peng Hu1, Xiao-Mei Yang1, Jun Li1, Ya-Hui Wang1, Qing Li1, Yi-Fan Zhang1, Lei Zhu1, Yan-Li Zhang1, Yanqiu Yu2, Gary Guishan Xiao3,4, Yong-Wei Sun5✉, Jianguang Ji6✉, Zhi-Gang Zhang1✉

1. State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P.R. China.
2. Department of Pathophysiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, P.R. China.
3. School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, P.R. China.
4. Functional Genomics and Proteomics Laboratory, Osteoporosis Research Center, Creighton University Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska.
5. Department of Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P.R. China.
6. Center for Primary Health Care Research, Department of Clinical Sciences, Malmö Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
* These authors contributed equally to this work.

Citation:
Nie H, Huang PQ, Jiang SH, Yang Q, Hu LP, Yang XM, Li J, Wang YH, Li Q, Zhang YF, Zhu L, Zhang YL, Yu Y, Xiao GG, Sun YW, Ji J, Zhang ZG. The short isoform of PRLR suppresses the pentose phosphate pathway and nucleotide synthesis through the NEK9-Hippo axis in pancreatic cancer. Theranostics 2021; 11(8):3898-3915. doi:10.7150/thno.51712. https://www.thno.org/v11p3898.htm
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Abstract

Graphic abstract

Prolactin binding to the prolactin receptor exerts pleiotropic biological effects in vertebrates. The prolactin receptor (PRLR) has multiple isoforms due to alternative splicing. The biological roles and related signaling of the long isoform (PRLR-LF) have been fully elucidated. However, little is known about the short isoform (PRLR-SF), particularly in cancer development and metabolic reprogramming, a core hallmark of cancer. Here, we reveal the role and underlying mechanism of PRLR-SF in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

Methods: A human PDAC tissue array was used to investigate the clinical relevance of PRLR in PDAC. The in vivo implications of PRLR-SF in PDAC were examined in a subcutaneous xenograft model and an orthotopic xenograft model. Immunohistochemistry was performed on tumor tissue obtained from genetically engineered KPC (KrasG12D/+; Trp53R172H/+; Pdx1-Cre) mice with spontaneous tumors. 13C-labeled metabolite measures, LC-MS, EdU incorporation assays and seahorse analyses were used to identify the effects of PRLR-SF on the pentose phosphate pathway and glycolysis. We identified the molecular mechanisms by immunofluorescence, coimmunoprecipitation, proximity ligation assays, chromatin immunoprecipitation and promoter luciferase activity. Public databases (TCGA, GEO and GTEx) were used to analyze the expression and survival correlations of the related genes.

Results: We demonstrated that PRLR-SF is predominantly expressed in spontaneously forming pancreatic tumors of genetically engineered KPC mice and human PDAC cell lines. PRLR-SF inhibits the proliferation of PDAC cells (AsPC-1 and BxPC-3) in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. We showed that PRLR-SF reduces the expression of genes in the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) and nucleotide biosynthesis by activating Hippo signaling. TEAD1, a downstream transcription factor of Hippo signaling, directly regulates the expression of G6PD and TKT, which are PPP rate-limiting enzymes. Moreover, NEK9 directly interacts with PRLR-SF and is the intermediator between PRLR and the Hippo pathway. The PRLR expression level is negatively correlated with overall survival and TNM stage in PDAC patients. Additionally, pregnancy and lactation increase the ratio of PRLR-SF:PRLR-LF in the pancreas of wild-type mice and subcutaneous PDAC xenograft tumors.

Conclusion: Our characterization of the relationship between PRLR-SF signaling, the NEK9-Hippo pathway, PPP and nucleotide synthesis explains a mechanism for the correlation between PRLR-SF and metabolic reprogramming in PDAC progression. Strategies to alter this pathway might be developed for the treatment or prevention of pancreatic cancer.

Keywords: isoform, pancreas, hormone, metabolism, biosynthesis.


Citation styles

APA
Nie, H., Huang, P.Q., Jiang, S.H., Yang, Q., Hu, L.P., Yang, X.M., Li, J., Wang, Y.H., Li, Q., Zhang, Y.F., Zhu, L., Zhang, Y.L., Yu, Y., Xiao, G.G., Sun, Y.W., Ji, J., Zhang, Z.G. (2021). The short isoform of PRLR suppresses the pentose phosphate pathway and nucleotide synthesis through the NEK9-Hippo axis in pancreatic cancer. Theranostics, 11(8), 3898-3915. https://doi.org/10.7150/thno.51712.

ACS
Nie, H.; Huang, P.Q.; Jiang, S.H.; Yang, Q.; Hu, L.P.; Yang, X.M.; Li, J.; Wang, Y.H.; Li, Q.; Zhang, Y.F.; Zhu, L.; Zhang, Y.L.; Yu, Y.; Xiao, G.G.; Sun, Y.W.; Ji, J.; Zhang, Z.G. The short isoform of PRLR suppresses the pentose phosphate pathway and nucleotide synthesis through the NEK9-Hippo axis in pancreatic cancer. Theranostics 2021, 11 (8), 3898-3915. DOI: 10.7150/thno.51712.

NLM
Nie H, Huang PQ, Jiang SH, Yang Q, Hu LP, Yang XM, Li J, Wang YH, Li Q, Zhang YF, Zhu L, Zhang YL, Yu Y, Xiao GG, Sun YW, Ji J, Zhang ZG. The short isoform of PRLR suppresses the pentose phosphate pathway and nucleotide synthesis through the NEK9-Hippo axis in pancreatic cancer. Theranostics 2021; 11(8):3898-3915. doi:10.7150/thno.51712. https://www.thno.org/v11p3898.htm

CSE
Nie H, Huang PQ, Jiang SH, Yang Q, Hu LP, Yang XM, Li J, Wang YH, Li Q, Zhang YF, Zhu L, Zhang YL, Yu Y, Xiao GG, Sun YW, Ji J, Zhang ZG. 2021. The short isoform of PRLR suppresses the pentose phosphate pathway and nucleotide synthesis through the NEK9-Hippo axis in pancreatic cancer. Theranostics. 11(8):3898-3915.

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