AHNAK2 Promotes the Progression of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma by Maintaining the Stability of c-MET

Zhaohui Chen; Pengbiao Miao; Hongcao Lin; Yanan Lu

doi:10.2147/CMAR.S451486

AHNAK2 Promotes the Progression of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma by Maintaining the Stability of c-MET

Cancer Manag Res. 2024 May 8:16:431-444. doi: 10.2147/CMAR.S451486. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Zhaohui Chen^#^{1

2}, Pengbiao Miao^#^{1

3}, Hongcao Lin^{1

2}, Yanan Lu^{1

4}

Affiliations

¹ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
² Shenshan Medical Center, Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shanwei, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
³ Department of Pancreatobiliary Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
⁴ Department of Anesthesiology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Purpose: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is extremely malignant and rapidly progresses. The overall response rate of PDAC to current treatment methods is still unsatisfactory. Thus, identifying novel targets and clarifying the underlying mechanisms associated with PDAC progression may potentially offer additional treatment strategies. AHNAK2 is aberrantly expressed in a variety of tumors and exerts pro-tumorigenic effects. However, the biological role of AHNAK2 in PDAC remains poorly understood.

Methods: The expression of AHNAK2 in PDAC and paired non-tumor tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Lentivirus knockdown was performed to investigate the impact of AHNAK2 on the biological function of pancreatic cancer cells. The subcutaneous cell-derived xenograft (CDX) model and the KPC spontaneous mouse model with AHNAK2 silencing were used to observe the effects of AHNAK2 on tumor growth and prognosis. The expression of c-MET at protein level in response to HGF treatment was assessed using western blot.

Results: Our results demonstrated that AHNAK2 was highly expressed in PDAC clinical samples and associated with poor prognosis. Knockdown of AHNAK2 significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells. AHNAK2 knockdown or knockout resulted in tumor growth suppression and prolonged survival in mice with PDAC. In addition, AHNAK2 and c-MET expression levels showed a significant positive correlation at the post-transcriptional level. Mechanistically, AHNAK2 promoted tumor progression by preventing c-MET degradation and persistently activating the HGF/c-MET signaling pathway.

Conclusion: Overall, our study revealed that AHNAK2 plays an important role in PDAC progression by modulating the c-MET signaling pathway, and targeting AHNAK2 may be an effective therapeutic strategy for PDAC.

Keywords: AHNAK2; HGF/c-MET pathway; c-MET; pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma; tumor progression.

Grants and funding

This study was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 82073149) and Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (Grant No. 2021A1515012357), and the Guangdong Medical Scientific Research Foundation (Grant No. B2023281).